Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney: Shards of the Truth
by kichu200211
Summary: Athena's story reaches a tipping point as she fights a new foe. If she wants to succeed in the realm of law, she has to come to terms with her dark history and fight for the truth.
1. Turnabout Mail - Part 1

**Author's Note: Hey, you fanfiction readers! The story is set after SOJ.**** Case 1 — this one — takes place ****after**** the main story does.**

**Just to let you know, Phoenix/Maya is a pairing here, but the story does not completely focus on it.**

**Major credits to Inkblot0Blue for beta-reading, brainstorming, and giving suggestions.**

**As with any story, reviews and constructive criticisms would be very much appreciated. Thank you very much for giving me your time. I sincerely hope you enjoy Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney: Shards of the Truth!**

**Also, just to be on the safe side: **

**Before we begin, I would like to state that Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, its sequels, spinoffs, movies, TV shows, musicals, and merchandise are all owned by Capcom. I do not own a single thing except for the story in this fanfiction!**

**Onwards with the story! :)**

* * *

**Turnabout Mail - Trial - Day 1- Part 1**

* * *

"Drop everything you have."

"P-Please don't kill me!"

"I don't want to have to kill you."

"Wh-Who are you?!"

"Just give me the money, dammit!"

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

* * *

**March 22, 2030 9:48 AM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby No. 2**

* * *

_Ah, another client, another case. There's never a day off from defending people!_

Phoenix walked into the defendant's lobby to meet with his client prior to the trial. A dark-haired young man was sitting, more like anxiously fidgeting, on the red sofa. A blue mask covered the lower part of his face. The minute Phoenix walked in, his client's eyes locked onto the attorney. He jumped off of the sofa quickly, standing at attention. Phoenix was successfully able to control his snickering.

"M-Mr Wright!" he exclaimed, tears welling up in his blue eyes before he sneezed and lost his posture.

_My name is Phoenix Wright, I'm an attorney at law. I work to defend people from false charges. This is my client, Lotso Sinkan. He's...well... sick._

He sneezed again as soon as he finished, muffled slightly by his mask.

"Hi, Mr Sinkan," Phoenix greeted. "It looks that we've got a murder charge to defend you from, don't we?"

"Yeah, I — achoo! — wanted to thank — achoo! — for taking my case— achoo!" said Sinkan, sniffling.

"Don't you worry, Mr Sinkan. I'll take the case from here." A confident smile appeared on his face. "This _is_ my job, after all."

"Achoo! Achoo!"

_Jeez. Will he be fine in court?_

"Thank — achoo! — you for agreeing to — achoo! — defend me, Mr Wright! Thank you so much!" exclaimed Sinkan, pulling Phoenix in for a hug.

Phoenix was slightly surprised at the embrace but patted the man on the back, awkward though it was. Something about this man rung a few bells with him and he felt sorry for him, being sick on such an important day. It reminded him of...

Him in that—objectively—_awful_ pink sweater, a 'P' knitted on the front, standing in a defendant's lobby quite like this one all those years ago.

Phoenix shuddered mentally at the memory.

"Achoo!" Sinkan sneezed, wiping his nose, "Anyways, Mr Wright, my fate is—achoo!—in your hands. I believe in you!"

_This is really cheesy...but_ this_ is why I became an attorney. To protect the people that can't protect themselves. _

Phoenix smiled."I believe in you, too, Mr Sinkan."

The bailiff by the doors cleared his throat. "The trial is to begin shortly. Will the defendant and his lawyer please make their way to the courtroom?"

"Well —achoo!—it's time, right?" said Sinkan, unable to hide the nervousness in his words.

* * *

**March 22, 2030 10:00 AM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 3**

* * *

The banging of the judge's gavel rang out in the courtroom, bringing an abrupt end to the gallery's various conversations.

"Court is now in session for — Oh, it seems that the prosecutor for today's trial hasn't shown up." the Judge said, frowning. "Well then, if the prosecution hasn't shown up, then I have no choice but to—"

_**Hold It!**_

"I'm here! Sorry about that, Your Honor," a young woman cried out breathlessly, black hair coming down in thick curls to her shoulders as she took up the prosecutor's bench. She wore a black shirt with a white vest and a red tie, with black dress pants. The outfit was rounded off with a gray blazer.

_Something about her looks familiar, but I can't put my finger on it._

"What exactly took you so long, Ms. Payne?" said the Judge, a frown etched deep into his face.

_Payne?!_

A nervous giggle escaped her, and Phoenix caught the glint of a prosecutor's badge on her lapel.

_Since when did they start carrying their badges? I'll have to ask Edgeworth about that..._

"W-Well, I seemed to have tripped and fallen on something, but now that I'm here, we can declare the defendant guil—"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"But I haven't even been allowed to argue yet!" exclaimed an exasperated Phoenix.

The woman fixed him with an intense glare.

"Ah, you must be Mr Phoenix Wright."

"Yeah, that's right…" _Do we know each other?_

"My name is Falen Payne and I _will_ defeat you to restore his honor!"

Phoenix balked at her statement. "Whose?"

"My father's, of course."

"Y-Your father?" he stammered out.

_Since when did either of the Paynes have kids?! And with whom?_

"Yes, the great Winston Payne, who was your courtroom rival up until he retired last year." she answered, setting her jaw. "You dishonored our family name. We were known as the rookie killers until you came along."

_Technically it was until Mia came along, but whatever._

Phoenix smirked. "Alright, then. Let's have ourselves a rematch."

The judge banged his gavel, drawing their attention back to him.

"If the two of you are ready!" said the Judge as he cleared his throat. He turned to face Payne. "And... Prosecutor Payne, do not make a habit of this lateness. Now then, let's get on with this. Court is now in session for the trial of Lotso Sinkan," said the Judge, banging his gavel onto its sound block.

"The prosecution, as always, is ready, Your Honor," said Payne, rolling her brown eyes.

"The defense is also ready, Your Honor," said Phoenix calmly.

"Your opening statement, please, Prosecutor Payne."

Payne pulled out a sheet of paper from her briefcase.

"The defendant, Lotso Sinkan, is charged with the murder of Norman deLiver, a mailman. At approximately 9:15 AM on March 21, as the mailman was making his rounds, Lotso got out of his house and shot the victim to death. This is proven by the fact that his fingerprints are on the murder weapon. We also have an eye witness who saw the defendant commit the crime."

"I see, Ms. Payne," said the Judge, nodding his head. "The prosecution may call their first witness."

"The prosecution hereby calls Livin Poore to the witness stand," said Payne, tapping her forehead.

The doors swung open to reveal a pale man with sunken eyes, in a ratty blue t-shirt and an old pair of sweatpants. He sauntered up to the witness stand, yawning. He had an unzipped jacket over his t-shirt, and stood in a very relaxed, casual manner. His green eyes were half-lidded, as though he had just woken up.

"Witness, can you please state your name and occupation for the record?"

"My name is Livin Poore and my occupation is currently replacement piano player at the Borscht Bowl Club," said Poore, wincing very slightly near the end, "I... don't make much money, but I'll take what I can get."

_Sorry about that. I remember living on that _thing_ they called borscht back there._ Phoenix winced slightly remembering the microwave-reheated, nearly expired taste of the supposed food served at the Club.

_I wouldn't wish that upon any soul; not even Dahlia Hawthorne should have to be forced to eat that stuff for seven years._

"Witness, you say that you witnessed the murder, correct?" asked the young prosecutor.

"Yes, Ms. Lawyer," said Poore succinctly.

"Then, testify to this court about how the murder took place," said Payne, before leering at Phoenix, "Prove to Mr Wright that his client is as good as guilty."

_Let's wipe that smug look off of her face. _

"Yes, witness, please begin your testimony," said the Judge.

* * *

Witness Testimony

-What I saw happen-

1) I saw the murder happen with my own eyes.

2) It was Lot who did it, no doubt about it. He may be my best friend, but that doesn't mean I'd lie for him.

3) He pulled out a gun on that mailman and told him to drop the letters. That's what I think anyway, because he dropped the letters immediately.

4) Then the mailman made a sudden move and Lot shot him three times.

5) After Lot went away, I went to see if the guy was still alive, and then I went to call emergency services.

* * *

_Well, that was pretty cut-and-dry. This _case_ is pretty normal compared to some of the other ones I've taken…_

"Mr Wright, will you proceed with the cross-examination?" asked the Judge.

"Yes, Your Honor!"

Cross-Examination

-What I saw happen-

1) I saw the murder happen with my own eyes.

_**Hold It!**_

"Are you sure you saw it happen?" asked Phoenix, looking at Poore.

"Why else would I be a witness? I said I did in my testimony, didn't I?" said Poore, rolling his eyes.

"Where were you when it happened?"

"My house, which is directly opposite to Lot's house. I was sitting on the chair on my front porch and saw it happen..." he said. Then a shifty smile appeared on his pale lips. "Oh, and by the way, you wouldn't happen to know about any interesting jobs in this area, right?"

_Huh?_ Phoenix slumped forward, sweating, "N-no! Why do you ask?"

"You'll need one once you lose this case," said Poore, not even looking Phoenix in the eye.

_It's always the stuck-up ones._

2) It was Lot who did it, no doubt about it. He may be my best friend, but that doesn't mean I'd lie for him.

_**Hold It!**_

"How do you have no doubt about the identity of the murderer?" asked Phoenix.

"Because I saw him do it. He was there at the time of the murder and I saw him killing him," said Poore.

"He's your best friend, right?"

"Yep, I formally introduced myself to him about a year ago, when I moved into the neighborhood. We became the best of buds since then. I really wish he didn't have to go out and do this," said Poore, faking sadness in his voice.

"How did you guys meet?" asked Phoenix, scratching his chin.

Poore simply looked to the side casually. "Well, I decided to be a good neighbor and walk over to his house to introduce myself. It would have felt bad. After all, a community sticks together, right? How can you stick together when you don't even know your neighbor? We had some stuff in common and the rest, as they say, is history."

"Thank you, witness," said Phoenix, nodding.

3) He pulled out a gun on that mailman and told him to drop the letters. That's what I think anyway, because he dropped the letters immediately.

_**Hold It!**_

"And why would he do that? Why would he pull out a gun on the mailman?"

Poore shook his head, a wry smile playing up on his lips. "Didn't Lot tell you? He hated that mailman. The mailman accidentally ran over his dog when it went near his truck. The dog wasn't killed, luckily, but he went and shot him."

"The witness' statement has merit. As you can see from this veterinarian's report, the defendant's dog seemed have needed some corrective surgery after the truck hit it," Payne confirmed, producing a report. "Bailiff, please provide the defense with a copy of this report."

_Really? Pulling the rug out from under me? I guess I should have seen it coming. _Phoenix leaned forward; beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.

The bailiff handed him the copy of the veterinarian's report; it mostly contained x-rays of the dog's body, showing multiple broken bones and fractures.

_Oh wow, that _is_ pretty brutal… _

Payne crossed her arms triumphantly over her chest. "That establishes the motive, don't you think so, Mr Wright? The defendant wanted revenge for his pet being run over."

"Is that it?"

"No, Mr Wright. The defendant brought that case into a civil trial and lost. He was made to pay one thousand dollars to the mailman in reparation for his court expenses. Afterward, he had to pay for his pet's surgery himself."

"That makes sense, Prosecutor Payne. Does Mr Wright have a rebuttal?"

4) Then the mailman made a sudden move and Lot shot him three times.

_**Hold It!**_

"Are you sure it was three shots?" asked Phoenix.

_**OBJECTION!**_

"And you call yourself a veteran attorney…" Payne sighed, shaking her head, "Mr Wright, you are aware that the autopsy report clearly states that there were three shots, yes?"

"Y-Yes… I am aware of that."

_Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer. But hey, at least there's no autopsy update..._

5) After Lot left, I went to see if the guy was still alive, and then I went to call emergency services.

_**Hold It!**_

"Wait, so you went near the body, right? Was he still alive when you went near him?" asked Phoenix.

"No... I think he was dead. I couldn't hear any breathing, anyway. I wanted to stop Lot, but I was scared that he would shoot me!"

"You looked around the scene and saw everything, right?"

"Yup, I saw everything at the scene, alright. I just can't believe Lot would resort to revenge. I didn't think he was that type of guy."

"Fine, could please repeat your testimony, Mr Poore?"

"Sure thing, Mr Lawyer."

Phoenix listened as Poore repeated his testimony, checking the court record.

3) He pulled out a gun on that mailman and told him to drop the letters. That's what I think anyway, because he dropped the letters immediately.

_**Hold It!**_

"You said that he dropped some letters, right?" asked Phoenix, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Yup, he did, Mr Lawyer," said Poore, giving Phoenix a nod.

"And earlier in your testimony, you said that you went near the victim and saw the crime scene?" said Phoenix.

"Yes, he did. How does that relate to this?" asked Payne.

"If you went near the victim, then you would surely have seen the letters which fell to the ground, and who they were addressed to."

"Yep, I did. They were addressed to Lot."

"Can you add that to your testimony please?"

4) Those letters I saw were addressed to Lot.

Phoenix looked through the court records and found the letters. He peered closely at them, frowning, before a confident smirk appeared on his face.

_**OBJECTION!**_

"That's incorrect, Mr Poore."

"H-Huh?" asked Poore, slightly shaken.

"The letters weren't addressed to Mr Sinkan. They were addressed to _you_."

"What exactly does that prove, Mr Wright?" asked Payne, fiddling with her tie.

"It proves, Ms. Payne, that the last person the victim went to deliver mail to was the witness, and not my client." Phoenix delivered, pointing at Poore.

The courtroom erupted into conversation, before the judge's gavel drowned out the discussions.

"Order! Order!" he bellowed out. As the hushed whispers died out, he said, "Prosecutor Payne, do you have a counterargument?"

Upon hearing her name, Payne stopped playing with her tie and stumbled slightly, unable to speak before rebutting, "W-What does that change? The defendant could simply have gone over and killed him while he was delivering the mail."

"Remember what the witness said? He was sitting on his front porch. If my client was the murderer, then it would stand to reason that they would have seen him there. If my client had gone to kill the victim, then why would he have left a witness standing?"

"Huh? Erm—I…" Payne sputtered, unable to think clearly.

"Not only that, but my client was sick during that day. He was attempting to recover from the injury."

"How does that change anything? What exactly does him being sick mean? Other than the first contradiction, everything else you have stated has been mere conjecture."

"Huh?"

"The only person with the motive to kill the victim was the defendant and his fingerprints being upon the murder weapon is _proof_ that the defendant murdered the victim."

_**OBJECTION!**_

Phoenix smirked, "As the saying goes: the proof is in the pudding."

"Wh-What do you mean, Mr Wright?" sputtered Payne, knees shaking slightly.

"The gun contains a fatal contradiction; the fingerprints that were left behind on the gun are smudged, as though someone attempted to erase them but couldn't. Now, why would my client deliberately leave his own fingerprints on the murder weapon? "

"Isn't it obvious? He began wiping them off with gloves, but was distracted, thus leaving smudge marks," said Payne half-heartedly.

Phoenix shook his head and smiled, putting his hands on his hips. "Where's the proof? Did the prosecution find gloves with prints such as those on the gun in Mr Sinkan's house?"

"The defense raises a key point; did you find gloves in the defendant's house, Ms. Payne?" asked the Judge.

"Er—um—no, we did not, Your Honor..." said Payne.

The Judge looked slightly confused by this turn of events. He looked at Phoenix with an amount of curiosity. "Well then, Mr Wright, if the defendant didn't commit the murder, then who did?"

"Well, Your Honor, Mr Poore was the last person to see the victim, as we've established through the letters that were addressed to him and through the circumstantial nature of the prints left on the gun. So, the only person who _could_ have committed the crime was—"

_**Hold It!**_

* * *

** Court Record:**

**Evidence:**

**_Attorney's Badge:_ Proof of my profession. No one would believe I was an attorney without it.**

**_Gun:_ The gun that claimed the victim's life. Belonged to the defendant. Has the defendant's fingerprints on it. Some of the prints are smudges, as though someone used gloves.**

**_Letters:_ Letters dropped by the victim prior to his death. They seem to be addressed to Livin Poore.**

_**Financial Statement: **_**Looking into one of the letters I found during my investigation, I came across a financial statement belonging to one Livin Poore. He's practically bankrupt. Sad thing is, I can relate...**

**_Autopsy Report:_ 3/21, 9AM-10AM, Cause of Death: 3 shots to the chest.**

**_Veterinarian's Report:_ Evidence presented by the prosecution which shows that the defendant had a motive to see the victim dead. It seems that the dog had multiple bone fractures; quite brutal.**

**Profiles:**

**_Phoenix Wright (age 37):_ That's me! I'm a defense attorney who fights for the people who can't defend themselves.**

**_Falen Payne (age 24):_ Daughter of Winston Payne, my longstanding... '_rival'_. She has quite a grudge against me for defeating her father numerous times.**

**_Lotso Sinkan (age 21):_ My client currently accused of the murder of a mailman. He seems to be very emotional over things.**

**_Livin Poore (age 25):_ A "friend" of my client who is currently bankrupt. He is currently testifying against Mr Sinkan.**


	2. Turnabout Mail - Part 2 - End

**A/N: I edited this chapter now to make it similar to later chapters. I kept it the same mostly out of laziness. So, sorry about that, heh.**

* * *

**Trial - Day 1 - Part 2**

* * *

**March 22, 2030 10:00 AM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 3**

* * *

_**Hold It!**_

This interjection came not from the prosecutor, but from the witness himself. His demeanor had changed completely, going from calm and relaxed to exasperated and enraged at the drop of a hat.

Poore glared at Phoenix, teeth bared. "Are you trying to imply that _I_ killed him?" he snarled.

_Got him._

Phoenix smirked, pointing at Poore. "Yes, I am. _You_ were the only one who could have committed the crime."

Poore noticed Phoenix's small display of hubris and immediately backtracked. He took a few deep breaths, steeled himself, and resumed his former casual stance. A small smile flitted across his face.

_That was pretty quick…_

Poore betrayed only a tiny hint of impatience in his voice ashe continued, "Hey, Ms Lawyer, shouldn't you be objecting or something right about now? If you keep this up, then this guy is going to accuse me of murder."

Payne also collected herself quite quickly. "Of course, Mr Poore. Your Honor, I apologize for my delay."

_And she's back. I'd better be careful. I heard if you mess with them enough, a Payne can be a pain in the—_

Payne cleared her throat and Phoenix focused back on the courtroom. "Defense, I have but one question."

"And what's that?"

"Motive. As I showed you before, the defendant had a motive. What possible motive does this witness have to see that mailman dead?"

"Erm—"

_Busted… I don't know. I'd better do what always works. Bluff 'til I can't bluff no more._

"Mr Wright, can you give us a motive?" asked the Judge, looking over at the defense attorney.

"Umm…"

_Come on, think! The witness…motive… _

_Wait. Those financial records… Could it be? _

_Poore is broke, so he would have needed money. Could the motive really be as simple as burglary?_

_I mean, it would make sense; he's working at the Borscht Bowl club, and I know from personal experience they don't pay much there. It would also be easiest to frame your friend once the murder actually happened._

The Judge nodded gravely and said, "Very well, if the defense cannot prove that the witness had a motive, then I have no choice but to declare a verdict!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

_Well… No going back now, is there? _

Phoenix opened his eyes and kept a mute expression on his face.

"Ready to bluff again, Mr Wright?" sneered Payne, tapping her head.

_As ready as I'll ever be…_

"Your Honor, the defense would like to provide a motive for the murder."

"Very well, what is your motive for the witness?"

_**Take That!**_

"Take a look at these financial records, Your Honor. They're Mr Poore's. I found them in one of the letters which the victim dropped."

Poore became flustered, as though he knew what the Judge was going to say.

"…Oh… My Goodness! I have never seen a balance this low!"

_Come see mine on burger nights…_

"H-How is that financial statement any indication of the motive, Mr Wright?" asked Payne, wobbling on her feet very slightly.

"The motive for the murder is simple burglary."

The courtroom erupted into chaos and Poore began to sweat visibly on the witness stand, trying his hardest to maintain his cool. The Judge banged his gavel thrice and called for order.

Once the courtroom had sufficiently quieted down, he looked over at Phoenix and stated, "Mr Wright, that seems hard to believe. How does a burglary lead to murder?"

Payne was the first to respond, interrupting Phoenix, "The answer is simple, Your Honor. The defense has simply lost what little brains he had left."

…_Was that really the best you could come up with? _

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Ms Payne, I assure you I haven't lost a single brain cell. The motive behind the murder _had_ to have been burglary."

"There isn't any proof—"

"Oh, there is. According to evidence submitted by the prosecution, the victim's wallet was missing at the time of the body's discovery and no money was found on his person."

"So? The defendant could have stolen that money after he killed him."

Phoenix grinned with pride. "You should remember that the last person who saw the victim was this witness. You even conceded to me on that point."

_Checkma—_

_**Hold It!**_

"Your Honor, may I speak?" said Poore.

The Judge looked curiously at the witness. "What is it you want to say?"

"May I testify about what happened after the crime?"

"After the crime?" he echoed as he ran his fingers through his beard thoughtfully. "Does the defense have any objections?"

"No, Your Honor. Let him testify about what happened after the crime."

"Understood. Witness, please begin your testimony."

* * *

Witness Testimony

-What Happened After—

1) After the crime, I saw Lot taking off the gloves that he wore to kill him.

2) He was also acting suspicious, like looking around everywhere. Luckily, he didn't notice me.

3) He moved the body to my side of the street using that van.

4) Then, he dropped his gun and left the scene back to his house.

* * *

_Much shorter and has one glaring contradiction._

The Judge nodded. "Mr Wright, you may proceed with your cross-examination."

"Alright, Your Honor."

Cross-Examination

-What Happened After-

3) He moved the body to my side of the street using that van.

_**OBJECTION!**_

"You say he took off the gloves he used. Why would he do that?"

"I don't know. Maybe he just thought that since the crime was over, he could take them off?"

"'Maybe's aren't enough here. I don't see there being a reason why he would take off the gloves."

Payne smirked, once again crossing her arms over her chest. "And why is that, Mr Wright?"

"Well, if he was planning to move the body to the other side of the street, then wouldn't he have left fingerprints on the steering wheel?"

Payne sputtered, losing her air of confidence. Her knees started shaking once again. "Oh—erm—I—we never…"

Phoenix shook his head. "That's a major inconsistency. As the prosecution found, only the victim's fingerprints were found on the steering wheel. In addition, some were slightly smudged."

She glared at Phoenix. "And what does that mean? I'll tell you what. It doesn't prove anything," said Payne in desperation, leaning forward as she began to sweat.

"You fail to understand me, Prosecutor Payne." Phoenix put his hands on his hips and smirked at his competition.

"Wh—What?! What are you talking about?"

Phoenix pulled out of the court record a paper with information on the delivery van tapping it as he spoke.

"If the fingerprints found on the steering wheel were smudged, then it means that gloves were used in order to cover that up as well. The prosecution's investigation proved that no gloves were found inside my client's house."

Payne began to take shallow breaths.

Phoenix continued with his deductions. "Who else had the time or motive to kill the victim?"

"N-no! My case!" Payne shrieked hyperventilating.

She then abruptly fell down. The Judge banged his gavel, ordering the bailiffs to resuscitate the amateur rookie-killing prosecutor. She came back within moments, still angry at being beaten, but silent realizing who had won.

"Now that Ms Payne is alright," the Judge said, looking over at Phoenix, "tell us who you are wishing to indict, Mr Wright."

Phoenix slammed his hands onto his wooden bench before pointing at the witness. "I'll tell you who. It was the witness, Mr Livin Poore. Exactly what do you have to say for yourself, Mr Poore?"

Poore was unable to contain himself. His chest was heaving and he started frothing at the mouth. "W-Wright… Phoenix Wright… _ I hope and wish you a painful death, Lawyer! Take your evidence and contradictions with you, you—!_"

The Judge banged his gavel. "Bailiffs, please restrain that man."

Instantly, three bailiffs appeared — _out of thin air, too_, Phoenix thought _—_ and handcuffed Poore, who was still shouting curses at Phoenix as they led him away from the courtroom.

"Mr Wright," said the Judge kindly.

"Yes, Your Honor?"

He shook his head and gave a wry smile. "As usual, you manage to turn this court upside down."

Phoenix put his hand behind his head and gave a bashful smile. "Just doing what I always do, Your Honor."

The Judge smiled gently back down at Phoenix. "Quite."

The Judge cleared his throat and resumed a neutral face. "I think it is now time for me to deliver a verdict. Will the defendant please make their way to the witness stand."

"Thank you so much, Mr Wright."

Sinkan got up and made his way to the witness stand, sneezing once, but giving Phoenix a glowing smile along the way. Phoenix simply smiled back, satisfied at the end of another case.

"On the charge of murder, this court hereby finds the defendant, Mr Lotso Sinkan…"

**_"Not Guilty!_"**

The Judge, for a final time, banged his gavel. "This court is hereby adjourned."

Payne grumbled something about 'vengeance' and 'my father' on the way out, but Phoenix paid her no heed.

* * *

**March 22, 2030 2:12 PM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby No. 2**

* * *

"Thank you, Mr Wright. Thank you! Achoo! Thank you! _Thank you!_" exclaimed Sinkan, nearly sticking himself to Phoenix's side in his excitement as they walked out of the courtroom.

"Don't mention it, Mr Sinkan," said Phoenix, smiling warmly at his former client. "I'm just doing my job."

His smile became slightly more awkward at this point. "Now, if you don't mind, Mr Sinkan... I kinda need some space. Heh heh heh. Sorry if I sound rude..."

_He's one of the affectionate types..._

Sinkan frowned suddenly. "Still. I didn't expect — achoo! — Lee to do anything like that."

"To think that he would try to frame a crime like this on his supposed best friend," said Phoenix, frowning. "I may not have mentioned it, but one thing I absolutely despise is betrayal."

"I know. It feels so bad to be stabbed in the back by someone you — achoo! — thought was your friend."

"Anyways, how are you feeling? Any better after the trial?"

"Yeah! I feel loads better now. Maybe the stress of a murder trial really does do a number on you."

_You're telling me..._

"Mr Wright… You know how I'm still in college, right?"

"Yes?"

"Well, I've always wanted to go into — achoo! — law. I didn't know if I wanted to be a prosecutor or a defense — achoo! — attorney, though."

Phoenix nodded, urging him to continue.

"Well, thanks to you, I think I know — achoo! — now. I want to become a lawyer. I want to be a defense attorney."

_You remind me so much of Athena back when I met her._

Phoenix smiled proudly, tilting his head. "If that's what you really want to do, Mr Sinkan, then I can't possibly have any objections. When you're done with the course, just know that I'll be there, waiting to teach you the ropes."

_I've got another one, Chief. I hope you're proud of me._

Suddenly, a woman's voice came from the doorway. "Hope you haven't missed me, Nick."

Sinkan peered suspiciously at the new arrival, who didn't seem to pay him much attention. "Who's that, Mr Wright?"

Phoenix blushed as Maya walked over and gave him a peck on the lips. "Oh, that. This is my girlfriend, Maya Fey. Maya, this is Mr Sinkan."

Sinkan gaped at Phoenix and Maya. "You have a girlfriend? I researched all about you at Themis, but it never said that! It only said she was your former assistant."

"Well, we haven't been a couple that long and I didn't really expect her until tomorrow, so yeah," said Phoenix, rubbing at his chin thoughtfully.

"Rude!" exclaimed Maya, glaring at him as she puffed out her cheeks. She playfully punched Phoenix on the arm. He reciprocated with a feigned look of pain, which she simply laughed at.

"Anyways, Mr Wright, wish me luck — achoo! — because I'm going to study law and become a lawyer, just like you."

"And start bluffing away, just like this sweaty amnesiac here!" Maya shouted at the retreating Sinkan, gesturing towards Phoenix. Phoenix simply leaned forward and began sweating in response.

Sinkan turned around and gave the couple a final wave before departing.

"That's not all I do!" protested Phoenix adamantly after his client's footsteps had quietened down.

"You know I'm just kidding, right? Jeez, Nick, we've been dating for about three months now and you still haven't learned to take a joke. I guess it's just the old geezer genes in you."

Phoenix simply shook his head and moved on, asking, "What're you doing here, Maya? I didn't think you'd be free until tomorrow."

Maya nodded her head happily. "What else do you think I'm doing? I came down to see my boyfriend. You always come down to Kurain for the weekends, so I'm just returning the favor this time. I'm staying at your place, of course."

Phoenix sighed and shook his head. "Maya, you stayed at my place even when you were just my assistant. The only real difference between now and then is the title of our relationship, that's all."

Maya smiled knowingly, leaning forward slightly. "Mostly true. But there's one thing you got wrong there."

"And what's that?"

Maya put her hand to her cheek in thought. "You're way more of an old man now, Nick. I don't think you were _ever _young sometimes that I think about it."

"Of course I was young, Maya. Everyone was young once, except for Edgeworth, but that's a whole different story."

"Hey! Don't go insulting Mr Edgeworth like that."

"He's my best friend. I can insult him any time I want. He probably does it to me behind my back all the time."

Maya sighed. "I guess you're right."

Phoenix looked around to try and spot Pearl, Maya's younger cousin — and practically a daughter to him. "Where's Pearls? I thought she'd be here with you."

Maya rolled her eyes. "Where she always is whenever we come down to the city nowadays."

"Again?"

"Yep, you don't have to ask that every time, y'know..." said Maya, shaking her head lightly. "It's not like it's illegal..."

Phoenix sighed and shook his head. Maybe he really was becoming the old and worried fuddy-duddy that Maya was always making him out to be. "You're right. We should go meet her afterward."

Maya looked confused, tilting her head to the right. "After what?"

Phoenix smirked, rubbing under his nose. "Now that the trial is over, what do you say we go get some burgers, Maya?"

Maya smiled coyly, asking, "Are you asking me out on a date, Nick?"

"Yep, if that's what you want, of course," said Phoenix, smiling.

"Of course that's what I want! Burgers sound great on a Friday afternoon," exclaimed Maya, leaning forward and with her hands at her sides.

_Of course, only Maya would get this excited over burgers..._

Phoenix began to slowly walk to the door when Maya ran and caught up to him, taking him by surprise.

"I'm running over there and I'm forcing your arthritis-infected legs over there with me!"

Maya suddenly grabbed Phoenix's hand and, intertwining her fingers with his, pulled him away from the courthouse, both laughing heartily at some joke the other told, to their favorite burger joint.

_I don't know what I did to deserve a girl like this. I have to say a thank you to Athena sometime. Maybe when she comes to visit from England. _

She _was_ the reason Phoenix and Maya got together in the first place. Athena had left to Europe almost three months ago. She promised that she would return, but she didn't know when that would be...

**End of Case 1**

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

_**Evidence:**_

**_Attorney's Badge:_ Proof of my profession. No one would believe I was an attorney without it.**

**_Gun:_ The gun that claimed the victim's life. Belonged to the defendant. Has the defendant's fingerprints on it. Some of the prints are smudges, as though someone used gloves.**

**_Letters:_ Letters dropped by the victim prior to his death. They seem to be addressed to Livin Poore.**

_**Financial Statement: **_**Looking into one of the letters I found during my investigation, I came across a financial statement belonging to one Livin Poore. He's practically bankrupt. Sad thing is, I can relate...**

**_Autopsy Report:_ Time of Death: 3/21, 9AM-10AM; Cause of Death: Three shots to the chest.**

**_Veterinarian's Report:_ Evidence presented by the prosecution which shows that the defendant had a motive to see the victim dead. It seems that the dog had multiple bone fractures; quite brutal.**

_**Delivery Van: **_**The van the victim used in order to deliver his mail. Only his fingerprints were found on the van, with some of it being smudged.**

**_Profiles:_**

**_Phoenix Wright (age 37):_ That's me! I'm a defense attorney who fights for the people who can't defend themselves.**

**_Falen Payne (age 24):_ Daughter of Winston Payne, my longstanding... '_rival'_. She has quite a grudge against me for defeating her father numerous times.**

**_Lotso Sinkan (age 21):_ My client currently accused of the murder of a mailman. He seems to be very emotional over things.**

**_Livin Poore (age 25):_ A "friend" of my client who is currently bankrupt. He is currently testifying against Mr Sinkan.**


	3. Turnabout to the Races! - Introduction

**Turnabout to the Races - Introduction**

* * *

_A peal of shrill laughter attacked her perceptive ears._

_She forced her eyes shut to handle the pain. The ringing in her ears was unbearable. Even her headphones were unable to stop the sensation._

_She was unable to think, unable to feel. _

_It was all-encompassing, brutal, and unrelenting._

_There was no escape. _

_Then, just as it started, the laughter stopped abruptly and an even more horrifying voice began to speak. The malice in the voice would have made anyone who heard it back away in fear._

"_Here is your _gift_, now_. _I hope you like it!"_

* * *

**August 6, 2029 4:23 AM**

**Athena Cykes' Apartment**

* * *

Athena Cykes jerked awake, drenched in a pool of sweat, with tears going down her face. She sat up immediately and looked over at the clock. It was four twenty-three in the morning. She brought her knees up against her chin as fresh tears started to fall from her eyes.

These, however, weren't tears of sadness.

_It's always the same goddamn dream over and over again! Just stop already!_

She had been having this nightmare for quite some time now, ever since the trial in Khura'in, in fact. It was always the same, with no details being altered between visions. She always woke up, in a pool of her own sweat, with tears streaming down the sides of her face.

There was no point in going back to sleep now, as it would just be the same nightmare-infested ordeal as it always was. Sleep was meant to be a comfort, but for Athena, it wasn't even close. The days were more comfortable for her than the nights ever were. Instead, she took Widget out of his charging station right next to her bed and put it around her neck.

With that, she threw off her sheets and scampered into the bathroom as quickly as she could. She brushed her teeth and changed into her workout clothes — an old t-shirt and shorts — before going out on her morning jog.

Her morning jog was a habit she had picked up during her legal studies in France and eventually, England. It helped her to counterbalance the nights she spent in front of a computer — or in her case, Widget — studying for the damn difficult exams. It also let her remain physically fit and gave her time to think in peace. Not that her thoughts were always peaceful, with alternating promises of saving Simon Blackquill from death and rehashes of the UR-1 incident. Her thoughts back then were always in a slight haze.

Upon getting back, she opened up her usual carton of orange juice only to find there was barely any left; just enough for half a cup.

_Now what am I gonna do? This day has been going _perfectly_ so far. _

Athena sighed, and downed the paltry remnants of juice in one mouthful, deciding to buy some more on the way back from work.

She took a quick shower, before getting ready for the day, putting on her usual professional attire — pinning her attorney's badge, her pride and joy, to her lapel — and combing her hair into a long ponytail.

Finally, she put on her trademark robot, Widget. Widget expressed Athena's emotions very clearly and allowed Athena to see another person's emotions. She'd used this little robot so many times to help turn around a case. It was one of her defining traits; it was a part of her.

As soon as it booted up, Widget displayed Athena's emotion as normal and content. After eating a couple of bowls of cereal — hey, a girl's gotta eat — and reading the news on Widget's news app, Athena locked her apartment and left for the Wright Anything Agency.

* * *

**August 6, 2029 7:58 AM**

**Wright Anything Agency**

* * *

One taxi ride later, Athena arrived, greeting her bleary-eyed boss Phoenix Wright as she came in the door. To be fair, it had only just become eight o'clock, so she shouldn't have expected him to be up as early as she was.

_I mean, he isn't suffering the same nightmares as I am._

"Oh hey Athena," said Phoenix, holding a cup of coffee — Godot Blend Sixty —in one hand. He stifled a yawn with the other hand. "I didn't expect you until a bit later."

Athena flashed Phoenix a peace sign. "Well, you know me, Boss! Always ready to work!"

"Uh-huh," said Phoenix, sounding thoroughly unconvinced, though he gave her a knowing smile.

"You don't believe me, do you?" asked Athena, looking downhearted as she grabbed her arm.

"…Not even for a second," said Phoenix nonchalantly, sipping his coffee.

Phoenix set down his cup after a few seconds. "Well, now that you're here, clock yourself in."

"Where's Trucy?"

Phoenix rubbed his chin in thought. "I think she was sleeping last time I saw her, but I know her better than that. She's probably still in bed, talking to her friends."

"Heh, that's Trucy for you," said Athena, grinning at Phoenix.

"Once you clock in, I'll give you some work for the day. And let me tell you: the paperwork is piling up."

Athena's grin instantly disappeared.

_My dreaded, ancient enemy. How could you do this to me, Boss? _

She suddenly wanted nothing more than to slam her head into her table.

"If we don't have a case, then we might as well make ourselves busy, right, Athena?" asked Phoenix, giving Athena his most villainous grin.

Athena groaned, "Yes, Boss."

Slowly, torturously, Athena started filling out the papers; office bills, consultations, filings, etc. She almost fell asleep countless times. She'd made it to the twentieth form when the office door was forcefully swung open.

"Nick!" interjected a familiar voice.

"Mr. Nick!" exclaimed another.

"Ms Maya! Pearly!" exclaimed Trucy, ecstatic to see Maya and Pearl again.

Only two people her boss knew had those voices. Athena knew them by heart as they came to visit quite often. It was Maya and Pearl Fey, of course. Maya seemed to be unusually excited, at least according to what she could hear. She tuned into the conversation, pausing in her paperwork.

"Nick! Nick! Nick!" exclaimed Maya, literally jumping for joy.

"What is it, Maya?" asked Phoenix, looking up from his considerably lighter stack of papers.

Maya began explaining, still looking like she was going to burst from excitement, waving the yellow tickets in his face as he tried to back away. "I was listening to the radio last week and they said that if I called them right then, I would get tickets for a race. I called the number and got the number one prize: five tickets to the NASCAR race today! It's not the Steel Samurai, but I really want you to come, Nick. I have tickets for you, me, Pearly, Trucy, and Athena. It starts at four thirty, so you're going to have to end work early."

Athena wasn't a fan of racing, but she would take _anything_ to have less paperwork to do. She got off her desk and walked over to the group.

"I don't know, Maya…" said Phoenix reluctantly. "We do have a lot of work today..."

"I sense a bit of discord in that statement, Boss," said Athena with a smirk, finally getting her revenge on Phoenix. "I don't even need Widget to tell that you're lying."

"Be careful who you're talking to, Athena," said Phoenix, looking at her sternly, before a smug smile showed what he truly felt. "Remember that at the end of the day, _I'm_ the one who controls your paycheck. And this isn't getting on my good side."

Athena's air of confidence vanished as soon as it had come but that was all it took for Maya to put on an angry pout, puffing her cheeks. "Really, Nick? Lying to me? That's not nice. Can you come? Please, please, _please_…"

She put her hands together, begging him to agree. "Just this once, Nick."

"Don't be rude, Mr. Nick," chastised Pearl.

Trucy waved a finger at him, narrowing her eyebrows a small bit. "Yeah, Daddy. Don't be mean to Ms Maya."

Phoenix sighed, but eventually grinned at her. "Once, huh? This isn't the first time you've said that you know."

"I know, but _please_, Nick," begged Maya, putting on her puppy-dog eyes.

Phoenix rolled his eyes and flashed her a smile. "Oh, alright. We'll come."

Maya ran over and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Nick!"

Pearl sighed very quietly and Trucy looked on with a small smile. Those two had been planning to get Phoenix and Maya together for years and Athena didn't blame them. Those two were quite literally worse than Apollo

_Thank you, Maya. I owe you big time. I've escaped dreaded paperwork for today._

Maya let Phoenix go and Phoenix looked over at Athena. "Athena, what do you think you're doing?" asked Phoenix sternly.

"Erm—standing here," answered Athena nervously.

"What should you be doing?"

"Filling out paperwork."

"Then get to it."

"But Boss—" began Athena.

Phoenix cut her off, shaking a finger. "No buts, Athena."

Athena grumbled unheard curses, mostly directed at her boss and her paperwork, and headed back to her seat. She started anew but became disinterested very quickly, so instead, she chose to train her perceptive hearing on whatever Maya and Phoenix were talking about.

"Being Master is _so_ boring, Nick. I hardly get time to watch Steel Samurai anymore! It's channelings day in and day out. The only good thing is that I can afford burgers myself now."

"But I still have to pay for them when you come here."

"Yep!"

"So, how're you here right now?"

"I told the elders I was taking a break for this week. Most of them didn't like it. Grumbled curses at me behind my back thinking I wouldn't hear it, but you know me and Pearly. They're so boring, Nick. They're almost as old as you."

"I'll have you know I'm thirty-six, Maya. Thirty-eight this October. And you're older, too, so you can't complain."

"Yeah, but unlike you, I aged gracefully."

They both laughed at this, though sarcasm was present in Phoenix's titter.

"So, how have _you_ been doing, Nick?"

"I've been doing alright. We've been having a few more cases than usual, but with Athena on the job, I'm sure we can handle them."

"How's Athena been doing? Better than I was?"

"I wouldn't say she's better than you, but she has great potential. All she needs now is experience and that's crucial."

Athena's eyes began to mist over slightly at her boss's complete faith in her. She resolved that she would work hard to live up to her boss's expectations. She couldn't let him down.

"Hey, Athena," chirped Trucy, poking Athena painfully and interrupting her train of thought.

"What's up, Trucy?" asked Athena, finally focusing on her.

"Daddy wants everyone ready to leave by one. We have to get there early to snag the best seats. He _also_ said that you have to work on those papers until then, unless a client walks in, of course."

_I'm not changing for that. I'll just go in my work wear._

"Of course I'll keep working, Trucy," said Athena.

Trucy left and Athena went back into her paperwork with new vigor, a determined smile on her face.

_After all, the Boss believes in me. I have to be a good lawyer, even if that means doing boring paperwork._

* * *

**August 6, 2029 12:48 PM**

**Wright Anything Agency**

* * *

"I'm impressed, Athena," said Phoenix, looking over his student working at her desk. "You've managed to work for nearly five hours now without a single complaint. That's new for you."

Athena smiled up at him, her eyes closed. "What can I say, Boss? I'm just dedicated to my work."

Phoenix eyed Athena, suspicious at her sudden change of attitude, but said nothing.

"Anyways, it's about time to go, Athena," said Phoenix, looking down at his watch.

"C'mon Nick," said Maya, appearing out of nowhere and grabbing Phoenix by the wrist.

"Maya, _wait_!" said Phoenix, his eyes wide.

"No more waiting, Nick. I didn't take a break today and tomorrow to spend it all here," said Maya impatiently, still dragging Phoenix away.

Pearl, Trucy, and Athena all laughed at this spectacle, before deciding to follow them down to the exit. Athena finally got off her seat — for the first time in about two hours — and stretched. She walked downstairs with Pearl and Trucy. Maya had already called a taxi over by the time and forced Phoenix in with her.

"Let's let them go together, okay, girls?" said Pearl, grinning mischievously.

The other two nodded. "Yeah."

Athena flagged a taxi for the three of them and they got in, with Athena and Trucy on either end and Pearl stuck in the middle.

"If there's anyone denser than those two are, it's probably Apollo," said Athena truthfully, shaking her head with a wry smile.

"How so, Athena?" asked Pearl.

"Junie's had a crush on that idiot for _goodness_ knows how long now. You should see how she talks about him. 'Apollo's like the sun, so warm and caring.' That's literally what she said about him last time I asked her," explained Athena, rolling her eyes.

Pearl tilts her head to the side. "Who's Junie?"

"My best friend. Her real name is Juniper Woods. She was a defendant in two trials almost two years ago. She has a _huge_ crush on Apollo and it's so plain to see. He doesn't seem to notice a thing! Even with that weird bug-eye thing that he does!"

"Well, anything can go over Polly's head unless it's explained to him like he's a fifth-grader," explained Trucy. "Sometimes, I felt like I was more of a lawyer than he was."

"I did notice that. He's a little bit of an airhead when it comes to some things," said Pearl, biting her thumb nervously.

* * *

**_Meanwhile, in Khura'in_**

* * *

Apollo slammed his fists onto the defense's bench."This banana peel proves that—"

"_Achoo!_"

"Are you alright, Mr. Justice?" asked the Khura'inese Judge, looking concernedly at Apollo, who wiped at his nose.

"Yep, sorry about that, Your Magistry," said Apollo, rubbing the back of his head with a wide, awkward smile.

_Good job on _not_ embarrassing yourself, Justice._

He turned to look at him, realizing that his head had suddenly been replaced by that of Athena! His eyes suddenly went wider than he thought they could go as he began to scream.

"Something wrong, Mr Justice?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Apollo woke with a start, his eyes wide and his face pale. He rubbed the sweat off his forehead as his rapid breathing finally began to settle down.

_Is she going to keep haunting me in my dreams too?!_

* * *

**_Back in America_**

* * *

"Yeah, Polly's a goof, but he's a lovable goof, nonetheless," said Trucy, smiling.

Athena and Pearl both nodded in agreement. There was silence in the car before an excited Athena began to grin.

"Anyways, I can't wait to see that race. This is my first time watching one. What about you girls?" said Athena.

Pearl's eyes glowed. "I've never watched a car race before! I'm so excited!"

"Me neither–at least, not in person. I've only watched it before on TV once," said Trucy, similarly jumpy.

The three continued talking about the upcoming race for the rest of the ride.

* * *

**August 6, 2029 2:12 PM**

**Auto Club Speedway**

* * *

"Wow! The stadium is so huge!" exclaimed Pearl, gasping at the view of the area. And she was right, it _was_ huge.

"Told you, didn't I? I heard it can fit over a hundred thousand people," said Athena, smiling at her friend's reaction.

Pearl looked at her, covering her mouth as it dropped low. "How do you know that?!"

"_Me!_" Widget exclaimed.

"Athena, you weren't kidding. This place is amazing. But it's nothing compared to my magical panties!" said Trucy, referring to her trademark magical act.

"You girls coming or what? I've gotten Nick's permission to buy us snacks!" shouted Maya, grabbing the attention of the trio.

_Buy _her_ snacks, she means._

"We're coming, Mystic Maya. You and Mr. Nick go on ahead," said Pearl, waving back at her, a slight blush on her face.

The three of them walked together towards the stadium behind Phoenix and Maya, who was hurriedly pulling her friend towards her goal as he voiced his — quite loud — objections. They talked incessantly about whatever topic came to their minds — from their glee at not having to go to school anymore, which was starting in just a few weeks, to the upcoming race they were to watch. Within a few minutes, during which Phoenix was hunched over at the ticket booth, panting like a dog, all five of them stopped at the ticket booth.

The red-haired receptionist scanned their tickets with a blank expression and a sigh, going on to grumbling about what had happened over the course of the day — something about crying children, rabid fans, and rather insulting foam fingers. Eventually, she looked back up at them and took off her glasses, seeing Maya's overexcitement. In a monotonous, robotic tone, she began, "Now then, I want to tell you that this ticket is nonrefundable and that it will only give you entrance for the day. You're allowed to sit in the front of the stadium, nearest to the race-track and you're not allowed to reach into the race-way, or to take much flash photography, not that you're going to need it with the sun this hot."

She looked up at the clear blue sky for a moment before looking back down and stamping the tickets with an 'approved' marker and pushing them under the glass to them. "Now then, are there any questions for me to answer?"

"_Not with that voice!_" Widget answered, flashing blue disappointment.

She didn't seem to have registered a thing, nodding and saying, "Have a nice time, guys. _Next!_"

"To the concession stand!" shouted Maya, grabbing Phoenix's hand and pulling him to the concession stand. He looked back at the trio and mouthed _'Help me.'_

The three just looked at his situation and laughed. Once Maya and Phoenix returned, with Phoenix carrying the goods Maya had ordered — seven hot dogs, seven candy bars, four small sodas and one extra-large one — he took one look at Athena and deadpanned, "This is coming out of your paycheck."

_Why me?!_

They then moved to their reserved seats on the front row, and within fifteen minutes, the announcer made his way to his microphone and a voice sounded from the speakers surrounding the stadium.

"Everyone, Are! You! Ready?!"

The crowd roared back, out of their minds with excitement. Athena couldn't blame them — she could feel coursing it within her too! Finally, she got up and shouted at the top of her lungs, unable to hold herself back.

"Get this gig started already!"

"Sit _down_ please, young lady. People need to see!" exclaimed some random audience member. She did so immediately, blushing and pulling her fingers through her ponytail.

"Drivers, S_tart! Your! Engines!_"

The cars moved onto the track and began following slowly behind the pace car, waiting for the green flag. Eventually, the flag was waved and the pace car went back into the pits, signaling the beginning of the race. The cars began speeding down the track, thundering along as the crowd continued whistling, shouting, and — some fans — crying their hearts out at their team falling behind. And at that moment, a leader could not be seen, as many cars rammed into each other, drove through open gaps, and drove into the pits, hoping for repairs.

After an hour or so, a clear speedster could be seen — a red race-car, emblazoned with the number 42 on nearly all sides — bolting and swooping past the competition. Every open gap available was filled by the racer, who then sped up and moved past. He seemed to be very experienced in his art. Eventually, he reached first place, managing to outstrip nearly everyone else on the track. And then continued driving along

To Athena's shock, the driver seemed intent on getting past the two cars in last place which were huddled close together. Instead of taking the easy route and going around them, this daredevil seemed to want to go _through_ them, slowing down for just a moment and then rushing through the both of them, who swerved out of the way just in time, slowing down to most likely shoot obscenities at the driver, as the crowd whooped and laughed in delight. It was utterly mesmerizing to Athena, who'd never seen anything like it before. She would have to keep up with the racing world way more often.

In the meanwhile, the announcer was providing commentary on the situation, though it wasn't really needed for her. "Looks like forty-two is going to win this one! He's in first place with feet to spare!"

The crowd — especially the team's fans — roared with approval at the positive remark.

Just when it seemed that they had it in the bag, another car seemed intent on stopping the leader's win in its tracks, 'accidentally' rubbing against his tire and causing it to blow out from the friction. Athena gritted her teeth as the sound made its way to her ears. The audience's boos drowned out any of the cheers from the other racer's fans, her exciting fists coming to her sides of their own accord. She was quite literally approaching the edge of her seat. She hoped that they would find a way out of the situation. It really wasn't fair; he was _so_ close to winning, too!

_Well, that's life in a dog-eat-dog world._

The voice in the speakers came out with rising tension, as though he was also distraught by the events. "Oh no, it looks like we celebrated too early! Forty-two's tire's blown out, and he's going to have to make a quic—!"

The boos muted his commentary, rising to a volume that Athena didn't even think was possible. She looked up for the first time during the race and that was when she saw it. A wave of obscene green foam fingers making themselves known in the crowd. She guessed these were the people that the receptionist was commenting on. She could see their mouths moving and — considering the gloves currently on their hands — she put two and two together, guessing that they were fans of 42 shouting profanities at the other driver.

Luckily, the car made it to the pits in the nick of time. The crew worked at full speed, changing the tire within seconds. But by the time that the change was completed, he had lost his lead by quite a margin.

They drove at lightning speed, trying to make up for the lost time. In the end, though, they were barely made it into second place as he crossed the finish line.

"Looks like this just wasn't Forty-two's lucky season. Ninety-five seems to have taken the number one spot in today's race."

Athena's fist shot into the air. "_C'était i__ncroyable__!_ I have to see something like that again someday."

_Maybe I can bully Simon into taking me again. He'll be up for it if I threaten him with an Athena specialty haymaker._

"You're telling me!" exclaimed Maya, her eyes glowing as she continued sipping her soda, which had somehow lasted the whole race.

Phoenix shook his head with a long sigh. "I don't know what you girls are talking about. It was way too loud; I couldn't hear a thing."

Maya shook a finger, her nose perked up, seemingly in disapproval. "Of course you don't. You're an old fart."

"Maya…_not this again._"

"Come on! You're just too afraid to admit it, Nick! Do you want me to tell them what happened at lawyer camp all those years ago? I still remember what you told me as clear as day."

Phoenix's eyes went wide. He waved his hands dramatically and shook his head with unneeded force. "Please don't."

Maya laughed. "Then stop acting like an old man."

All four of the girls heartily laughed at Phoenix's expense. Phoenix put his head down, blushing of embarrassment. He then looked at his watch and mumbled, "It's almost six now; I think it's time to leave."

_I swore I heard 'with my dignity' at the end._

The four walked away from the stadium and decide to go their separate ways. Phoenix, Maya, Pearl, and Trucy returned to Phoenix's apartment, with Maya demanding that they watch Steel Samurai reruns. Phoenix grudgingly accepted.

* * *

**August 6, 2029 7:17 PM**

**Athena Cykes' Apartment**

* * *

Athena, on the other hand, made a quick trip to the supermarket to buy orange juice — from concentrate, thank you very much — and returned home, hoping to get some much-needed rest after her day out. She ought to thank Maya for that sometime soon.

She settled down on her couch with her instant ramen and turned the TV onto whatever mindless program was on. Switching the channels, she eventually found one full of the good early 2000s cartoon shows — with all the action and drama that was needed before the networks decided to aim for a younger audience. A slight smile flitted across her lips; she used to watch these at the space center with Simon whenever he had the chance to be around. Not all that often now that she thought about it. Boy, how times had changed.

After about an hour or so of TV watching, Athena yawned, signaling that it was time for bed. Turning off the TV and throwing away her ramen packet, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Upon finishing her nightly routine, Athena changed into her comfortable and loose-fitting yellow, flower-patterned nightgown.

With that done, she threw herself onto her bed and instantly fell asleep.

* * *

**August 7, 2029 5:22 AM**

**Athena Cykes' Apartment**

* * *

Once again, Athena woke up suddenly, shaking visibly from her experience, sweat clinging to her clothes. That trial would haunt her forever, now wouldn't it? Those two trials were so damn anger-inducing. It seemed as though fate had wanted her to hate the courtroom before it put her in the place as a defense attorney. If she couldn't stop these nightmares soon, she was going to go insane — of that, she was sure. Unable to handle it further, she placed her head in her knees and groaned in exasperation.

However, instead of sitting and stewing on it, Athena got up from her bed and went to brush her teeth. She paused and looked in the mirror, noting that she looked exhausted, small rings visible under her eyes, as though she'd never slept a day in her life. Even with all that, though, she wanted to keep her morning jogging a regular habit — exercise and time to think, who could argue with that, right? She shook her head to remove those thoughts and instead put some water on in order to fully wake up. She walked into her closet, changed into her clothes, and left her apartment.

Upon returning from her jog, she poured some orange juice from her new carton and downed the glass in two gigantic gulps, shivering a bit from the speed and the overall frostiness of the sweet, yet sour drink. She went into the bathroom, took her shower and changed into her day wear.

She decided to go all out and make some eggs and toast for breakfast today. The eggs turned out as well she could have hoped for and the toast wasn't burnt, so today was going okay so far.

She turned on the television, stretching out and yawning during the meanwhile. She wandered around the channels for a while, watching some old, crummy reality shows — 90 Day Fiancé in particular, which was just one of her guilty pleasures, honest! Eventually, she switched to the local news outlet.

"Popular racecar driver Röd Runner, the infamous '42, was killed when his car exploded during a practice lap around 8:00 PM. The accused is the team mechanic, Carlos Amenda."

_What?!_

"The trial is to begin tomorrow and the accused has yet to find a lawyer. A public defender may..."

_Well, I know who I'm gonna defend now. Looks like our vacation was short-lived, Boss._

* * *

**Court Record**

**Evidence:**

**_Attorney's Badge:_ Proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

**Profiles:**

**_Phoenix Wright(age 36):_ My mentor and role model. He's an excellent defense attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror'.**

**_Maya Fey (age 29):_ The Boss's close friend who's a spirit medium. She's known him for over a decade at this point and his heart's always happier near her.**

**_Pearl Fey (age 19):_ Maya's younger cousin who's also my best friend. I call her Pearly. She really seems to see Mr Wright and Maya as a couple, not that I blame her...**

**_Trucy Wright (age 18):_ The Boss's daughter; a magician who loves to perform magic. She usually has an assistant. You can guess who that is...**

**_Apollo Justice (age 25):_ An idiot who I'm proud to call my best friend. He's a defense attorney like me, but he left for Khura'in quite a while back.**


	4. Turnabout to the Races! - Part 1

**Major Thanks to Fanfiker-FanFinal for helping get the Spanish in this right. As usual, major kudos to InkBlot0Blue for beta reading this fic.**

* * *

**Investigation - Day 1 - Part 1**

* * *

**August 7, 2029 9:12 AM**

**Detention Center**

**Visitor's Room**

* * *

Carlos Amenda sat on the opposite side of the glass, wearing a t-shirt and some overalls. He had a few grease and sweat stains on his clothes. His hair was combed down and he had a bruise on his forehead. He looked up at the lawyers and then looked right back down.

"_Gracias_ for visiting me, _se__ñ__ores_…" said Amenda, looking thoroughly downhearted.

"Mr Amenda! How're you holding up?" asked Athena, slamming her hands on the glass.

"…Do you really need to know?" said Amenda, without looking up.

_I can see the guy's a real charmer._

"No, sorry about that," said Athena, rubbing the back of her head.

"Mr Amenda, we heard that you don't have a lawyer yet," said Phoenix, looking directly at him.

"Who would want me for _un cliente _anyway?" said Amenda sardonically. Then he shook his head. "No lawyers have come to see me _solo ustedes_."

"Don't you want someone to defend you?" asked Athena, looking determinedly at him.

"...Of course I do, but are you up for it?" said Amenda. He looked up hopefully at Phoenix.

"If you fill out the papers, then Athena here can defend you," said Phoenix, smiling at him. Athena flashed a peace sign at Amenda.

"A-Athena?"

"Yes, my student over here," said Phoenix proudly.

"_Gracias_, Mr Wright," said Amenda. His personality took a complete turn. He smiled for the first time during their conversation.

Phoenix shook his head and smiled. "No, you should thank Athena here. Athena Cykes. She's the one who asked to defend you."

"_Te deseo lo mejor_,_ Se__ñ__orita_ Cykes," said Amenda, getting up and tipping her an invisible hat. "I'd shake your hand if I could, but as you can see…"

He gestured to the glass with a sarcastic smile.

Athena nodded and smiled. "Can you tell us what happened yesterday night?"

"Well, this's what happened. I was fixing Rod's car when—"

Athena frowned. "Rod? I thought it was Röd."

"Oh, that's just a fancy pun to have a catchy name, that's all. His real name is Rodrick Runner."

"Huh. Okay."

"...As I was saying, I was fixing Rod's car, making _un__a__s modificaciones_, and I was under it doing some final touches when someone called out for me. I didn't really see who it was, because it happened so fast; _m__i cabeza _was hit with something." Amenda frowned. "I think it was Rod because he did have on his usual red outfit, but I don't know why he'd do it. And...then, I don't remember anything until _l__a__ policia_ took me in."

_SNAP!_

The camera shutter on Athena's phone sounded out.

"Hey, what was that for?"

Athena grinned. "That's for the record. I wanted a picture of your head injury. It can be used as evidence."

"That's okay."

**Photo of Head Injury added to Court Record.**

"Thanks. Is there anything else?"

"No, there's nothing else I remember. You should head on down to our team's booth. That's where I was fixing his car."

"Where did the crime take place again?"

Phoenix cleared his throat. "Athena, the bomb exploded during a practice run on the raceway."

"Thanks, Boss."

"See you later, _se__ñ__ores_. I'm gonna have to go with the boys in blue now."

Athena waved at him. "Bye, Mr Amenda."

Amenda smiled at them and then the guards took him to his cell. Athena and Phoenix were left alone, planning their next move.

"Let's go then, Boss. We'll have to investigate quickly, before the day's out."

"Yeah, let's go."

* * *

**August 7, 2029 10:30 AM**

**Auto Club Speedway**

**Racetrack**

* * *

"Who thought we'd be back here so soon, right, Boss?" asked Athena.

"Yeah, I thought my wallet told me never to come back here again," said Phoenix sheepishly.

_After what Maya did to it, I can see why._

"This time, we have to go over to the racetrack on foot," said Athena, sighing in apprehension.

"Hey who's—Oh, it's just you guys," said a woman's voice, in an irritated tone. The duo turned around, faced with a brunette in a white lab coat, carrying a pouch filled with different chemicals.

"Ema? You're the detective for this case?" asked Athena.

Ema sighed in reply. "Technically - I mean, I'm still with Forensics.. Just, the chief himself wanted to take this case, but something came up last minute, so I got assigned to it instead. As if there aren't other detectives..."

"Wait a minute, the chief?" Phoenix questioned.

"Yeah, Chief of Police, Dick Gumshoe."

Phoenix gaped at Ema. "G-Gumshoe? I haven't seen him in _years_. How's he doing?"

Ema rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, he's a busy man now. He can't investigate crimes like he used to."

"I see…"

"Anyways, I'm guessing you two aren't here for idle talk."

"We're here to investigate."

"Well, I can't help you, as usual, but I can tell you this case is practically open and shut."

"Open and shut?"

"Yes. The only person who was able to put the bomb under the car was the mechanic. We even have an eyewitness."

"A-A witness?"

"Yes, but I'm not saying anymore—"

"And just what are you doing, Skye-dono?" A deep, accented voice interrupted.

"Ah, damn. He found me."

Athena spun around and saw that Simon Blackquill was walking up to her. Taka flew onto his shoulder as he shook his head with a hint of impatience in his voice as he said, "Conspiring with the opposition? How utterly scandalous, Skye-dono."

Athena waved at him. "Hey, Simon! How's it go—"

Blackquill gave Athena a grave look. "Don't finish that question. You know my response."

_Well, that pleasant conversation ended quickly._

Athena rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, yeah. 'As well as I'm ever doing.'"

Blackquill looked over at Phoenix. "So, Wright-dono, I surmise you're planning to defend the mechanic?"

"Er–Actually no, Mr Blackquill. Athena's going to do it."

Blackquill turned back around to look at Athena, shocked. "Athena? _You're_ going to defend the grease monkey?"

"Yeah, Simon. You got a problem with that?" asked Athena, giving Blackquill a tense stare.

Blackquill took a breath and instantly became calm. He smirked at her before replying, "No, of course not. I have no problems sparring with amateurs."

_His nerve… I am _not_ an amateur, Simon, and you know it. I'll wipe that smug look off your face. _

Athena seethed in private as Phoenix asked Blackquill, "Prosecutor Blackquill, can you tell us anything about this case?"

"Hmph. I can tell you what you already mostly know. That being that the racer is dead and that the mechanic is the accused."

Athena looked at Blackquill with puppy-dog eyes. "Simon, please tell us more! Please!"

"Absolutely not.."

"_Jerk!_" Widget cried out at his retreating form.

Athena cursed under her breath, looking at Ema exasperatedly. "Can you at least let us look at the wreckage?"

Ema shook her head."…You already know my response; I can only let you through once the prosecution's investigation is over."

"Boss, let's go check the pits," Athena whispered into Phoenix's ear.

They began to make their way down to the pits, using the huge racetrack as a pathway as the paddock had been sealed off. It didn't help that the sun was beating down on them; the asphalt underneath scorched their feet, forcing them to walk at a brisk pace.

"...He's _such_ a jerk," Athena muttered under her breath as they rounded the corner.

Phoenix sighed, wiping the sweat off his brow. "He has to be, Athena. He's a prosecutor and we're defense attorneys."

"Well, we're friends, aren't we?"

"Look, Athena. Edgeworth and I are best friends, but do we go easy on each other in court?"

"No, but that's beside the point."

Phoenix shook his head. "No, it's not. He can't let us in because we stand on different sides of the courtroom. If he let us in right now, it could disturb the police investigation and give him a disadvantage."

"But…" Athena began adamantly.

"Athena, prosecutors and defense attorneys are two sides of the same coin. We both fight for the same result with one breath and insult—or physically abuse—each other in the next."

"But we _don't_ fight for the same thing, Boss."

"No, Athena, we both fight for the _truth_. If there were no prosecutors, then people would get away with crimes they committed and if there weren't defense attorneys, people would be convicted for crimes they never committed. You can't have a courtroom without both sides. Do you get me?"

Athena remained quiet for the rest of the way to the pits, digesting his words.

* * *

**August 7, 2029 11:10 AM**

**Auto Club Speedway**

**The Pits – Booth 42**

* * *

"This is where Mr Amenda said to go, Mr Wright," said Athena.

"Yeah, what could he want us to do here?" asked Phoenix.

"I don't know, but let's look around."

"Yeah."

Athena looked to the spot where the car should have sat the day before. She noticed that there were a few oil stains on the ground where Carlos said he was working.

**Oil Stains added to Court Record.**

_That makes sense. Mr Amenda did say that he was making modifications to the car when he was __struck__._

She looked around more before noticing something she hadn't seen there before; a _tiny_ red blot on the ground.

_Blood? Why is there blood here?_

**Small Blood Stain added to Court Record.**

"Hey! What're you doing here?"

Athena turned around and saw a slightly scrawny young man with blonde hair and hazel eyes carrying a tire. He wore a red uniform with the numbers four and two emblazoned on the front. He had a look of surprise on his face. From what she could see, he worked for the victim's team.

"Oh, me? I'm investigating this area. I'm Athena Cykes, ace defense attorney," said Athena.

_"Can you get any more egotistical?"_

"Shut it, Widget!" scolded Athena.

"Are you going to defend Carlos, Ms Cykes?"

"Yeah, I am. Do you know anything that'll help us?"

The man shook his head. "I'm a witness for tomorrow's trial, but that dark man told me not to say anything to Mr Amenda's lawyers."

_Simon, I _swear_ I'll get you back for this, you damn—_

"Oh, wait! I haven't even told you my name, Ms Cykes," he said, dropping his tire. He approached her and shook her hand. "My name is Pitt Wilde. I'm a pit crew member."

"You didn't need to tell me that. Just look at your outfit," said Athena, pointing at Wilde's outfit.

"Huh? Oh yeah!" Wilde said, before making finger guns at her. "Hey, you like racy jokes?"

"Wh-Wh-Whaaaat?!" interjected Athena, her eyes wide. She had surely heard the man incorrectly.

"Hah! Get it? Racy Jokes? Racing? Huuh? Huuuuuh?" asked Wilde, grinning widely at her.

"_Just kill me…"_

Athena didn't even protest. She just slumped forward and began sweating.

"Huh? What did I do wrong?" asked Wilde, clearly confused. He had no idea how _wrong_ his joke was.

"J-Just ignore him," said Athena. She straightened up and looked Wilde in the eye. "Mr Wilde, can you tell me _anything_ about what you saw? Anything at all?"

"Umm no, Ms Cykes."

He walked around her and began looking around for something.

"Where are the tools? I can't find the screwdriver or wrench anywhere. I've been looking for them everywhere. Oh, Mr Bosse is going to _kill_ me. He's mad enough as it is what with the defeat and the murder," said Wilde, beginning to breathe erratically.

_That's weird… This is meant to be an area for maintenance. Why _wouldn't_ he find tools here? And who's Bosse?_

"Mr Bosse?"

"Yeah, Mr Richard Bosse. He's like, our biggest sponsor, so he's pretty much our boss. He came yesterday to talk to Mr Amenda about something, before the explosion, you know. Kinda tall, wears a ten-gallon hat."

"Thank you, Mr Wilde."

_Finally, a real lead._

Athena walked away from Wilde and tried to find Phoenix. She moved aside some small stands blocking her way. Looking down, she noticed something rectangular. She picked it up and held it in her hand; it was a zipper. It didn't look like anything worn by her client.

_Maybe this is from the victim? I should take this. It may come in handy._

**Zipper Piece**** added to Court Record.**

"Athena! Over here! I'm over here!" shouted Phoenix, beckoning at her. He was overlooking a workbench on Athena's left hand side, which seemed strangely empty save for one note Phoenix was clutching.

"Boss!"

Athena ran over to Phoenix's location.

Phoenix handed her a folded piece of paper.

"Look at what I found. It isn't good."

She opened the paper and began to read:

_Dear Mr Amenda,_

_ Due to your insubordination to me, I wish you to resign by midnight tonight. I have the deepest sympathies for you and hope you have a good life ahead of you._

_ Goodbye and best regards,_

_ The Great Röd Runner_

Athena grimaced.

_ Geez, how conceited can you get? The "Great" Röd Runner? Didn't he lose every race this season?_

"How is this bad for us?" asked Athena.

"Because if the prosecution gets wind of this, they'll have a motive set in stone."

"_If _they do_,_" said Athena, grinning malevolently.

_What Simon doesn't know, won't hurt him._

She didn't notice Phoenix's eyes widening as he noticed the figure behind her. She folded it back up and started to put it into her pocket.

**Typed** **Letter added to Cour—**

Suddenly, a blur crossed Athena's line of sight. When she looked down, she noticed that she no longer possessed the letter.

_Goes to show: being bad does have its consequences…_

Athena spun around with the force of a pulsar. She moved her hands to her cheek, her eyes wide at the intruder.

_Damn it. Th__is is__ the one thing I didn't __need…_

"Thank you, Taka," Blackquill said, petting the hawk as it landed and handed him the slip of paper, before turning to Athena with narrowed eyes. "I hadn't thought you to be the sort to pilfer and hide evidence."

"Shut up, Simon!" shouted Athena, although she was noticeably frazzled.

Blackquill began to read the paper. As he took in the words, a nasty smirk began to make its way onto his face.

"My utmost gratitude for your investigative efforts. I'll be keeping hold of this," Blackquill said, pocketing the paper. "Now then, I'd best be off. I trust you'll keep yourselves out of trouble."

Athena glared at Simon as he left her and Phoenix alone.

"I would say you didn't deserve that, but—" said Phoenix, shrugging.

"Don't even _finish_ that sentence, Boss," said Athena in a warning tone, cracking her knuckles.

Phoenix remained silent.

Athena sighed. "Let's just keep investigating, Boss. I'm sure we'll find something. I have a clue, too; the tools are missing from the booth. Why would that be the case in a pit booth?"

"…That is weird. I don't know why the tools would be missing, unless…"

"The real bomber took them away?"

"Athena?"

Athena played with her earring, deep in thought. "Yeah, it doesn't hold up to any reasonable level of scrutiny unless the real bomber took those tools with him. That would make sense because it would incriminate them. Mr Amenda couldn't have done that because, according to his testimony, he was out cold then."

Phoenix smiled proudly. "That's an excellent deduction, Athena."

"It's elementary, my dear Watson!"

"If it's so elementary, then exactly who is this murderer you're trying to pin."

Athena scratched at the back of her head. "Agh, I didn't think that far ahead yet, Boss."

Phoenix smiled gently. "That's alright. Now, where do you want to go from here? This is _your_ case, after all."

Athena decided to investigate the area again, looking into every nook and cranny. Eventually, she gave up, but just as she was about to tell Phoenix to go back to the wreckage, she saw something glinting in the trash can.

_What's this?_

She pulled the object out of the trash can, discovering that it was a screwdriver.

_What would a screwdriver be doing in the trash?_

**Screwdriver added to Court Record.**

"I think the police would be done investigating the wreckage by now. Maybe we can find some clues there."

"Alright, then," said Phoenix, starting to walk out of the pits.

* * *

**August 7, 2029 11:37 AM**

**Auto Club Speedway**

**Racetrack**

* * *

As Athena and Phoenix returned to the wreckage, they saw the police packing evidence into their bags. When they got to the scene, many of the detectives got up and left.

"Hey," Ema greeted, pulling latex gloves off her hands. "You can start your investigation now. We've just wrapped up."

_Let's do this!_

Athena began sifting through the wreckage, trying to find something—anything—to help her in the courtroom tomorrow. Suddenly, her eyes caught something with ash on it. It was a small piece of plastic.

She picked it up, wiping off the dust and saw that it had something written on it. She scrutinized the writing, attempting to make some sense of it.

_'A5S4' I wonder what that is? It looks like part of some code. Looks like the police missed this._

**Piece of Plastic added to Court Record.**

"Athena, I found something else. It was just sitting on the top of one of the parts. I think the police must have forgotten it or something. It looks a bit like one of the tools that went missing," said Phoenix, looking up at Athena.

"Let me see," said Athena, grabbing the object in Phoenix's hand.

He was right. It looked like a wrench, only it was no longer usable; it was bent and burnt.

_What would a tool like this be doing in an explosion? Why was it even in that car?_

**Broken Wrench added to Court Record.**

"Boss, do you have any idea what this could mean?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it. It means that only someone with access to this wrench could have done the crime. The only person who we know was there at the time was our client." Phoenix said.

"So, in essence, this will give the prosecution a major advantage if we do present it."

Phoenix shook his head but then smiled. "Yes, but don't worry. We can still make it through this. We have to piece together the testimony tomorrow. If we're lucky, then this may be able to be used to our advantage."

They continued searching for things but it was all for naught.

"Well, this was a waste of time. All we found was a piece of plastic and a broken wrench."

"Don't say that. Evidence is important, Athena, no matter how insignificant it may seem at first. Remember, even something as unimportant as a pen can prove that someone was at the scene of a crime."

That statement jogged Athena's memory. "Wait… Mr Wilde mentioned a guy named Mr Bosse. He said he talked to Carlos before the bombing."

"Well then, let's go talk to this Bosse, shall we, Athena?"

"We have one problem, Boss. I don't know where he is."

Phoenix was about to reply when an impatient female voice stopped him.

"Waitaminit. Who're yew two and what're yew doin' in that there debris?"

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

**_Attorney's Badge:_ This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

**_Photo of Head Injury: _A picture that I took of my client's face. There's a bruise on his forehead.**

**_Oil Stains:_ I found this in the pits. These are oil stains that come from the car when its oil got changed. There must have been some maintenance work.**

**_Blood Stain:_ A very tiny bloodstain that was near the oil stains. I don't know who it belongs to, but it looks pretty suspicious.**

**_Zipper:_ A red colored zipper found in the maintenance area. I know it doesn't belong to my client.**

**_Piece of Plastic:_ A piece of plastic I found at the wreckage. The police don't seem to have noticed it under the ash. It contains a few letters and numbers—'**_**A5S4'**_**—before being cut off**_**.**_

**_Broken Wrench:_ A broken wrench the Boss found at the bombed car. It's mostly burnt and bent, but it looks like one of the missing tools Mr Wilde was talking about.**

**_Screwdriver:_ A screwdriver I found in the trash in the pits.**

**_Piece of Plastic:_ A piece of plastic I found at the wreckage. The police don't seem to have noticed it under the ash. It contains a few letters and numbers—'**_**A5S4'**_**—before being cut off**_**.**_

**_Broken Wrench:_ A broken wrench the Boss found at the bombed car. It's mostly burnt and bent, but it looks like one of the missing tools Mr Wilde was talking about.**

**Profiles:**

**_Phoenix Wright (age 36):_ An excellent defense attorney, known widely as the '**_**Turnabout Terror.**_**' He's my mentor and role model.**

**_Simon Blackquill (age 30):_ He's an old friend of mine who's the prosecutor for this case. Formerly known as the '**_**Twisted Samurai**_**,' he was in prison until about two years ago. He's also a psychologist.**

**_Ema Skye (age 28):_ The detective/forensics investigator assigned to this case. She's pretty friendly with me and Apollo, but science is her one true love.**

**_Röd Runner (age 25):_ Rodrick Runner, the victim of this case. He was killed by a bomb in his racecar.**

**_Carlos Amenda (age 28):_ My client, who is accused of murder. He was the team mechanic and was fixing the car on the night of the crime.**

**_Pitt Wilde (age 23):_ He's a witness for this case. He works for the race team as a pit crew member. **


	5. Turnabout to the Races! - Part 2

**Investigation - Day 1 - Part 2**

* * *

**August 7, 2029 11:46 AM**

**Auto Club Speedway**

**Racetrack**

* * *

Athena and Phoenix both turned around. Before them stood a pudgy, impatient-looking young woman in red overalls; the number forty-two was emblazoned on the front of her overalls.

_Another pit crew member? And she's from the heart of the heartland!_

"Didn'tcha hear anythin' I just told ya?" said the woman insistently.

Athena waved her hands in the air with an apprehensive smile on her face. "Er—yeah I did. Sorry! I'm a lawyer and I'm investigating the crime scene."

The woman's blue eyes narrowed. "A lawyer? What's a good-for-nothin' lawyer like yew doin' in a place like this? Which criminal are ya helpin' ta escape this time?"

"Hey, watch it, lady! You're one to talk, coming and insulting me and my boss for no reason! I didn't even do anything to you!" exclaimed Athena, her demeanor suddenly changing.

The woman rolled her eyes. "See that there's what I'm talkin' about. Ya got no respect for no one."

"What're _you _doing here, lady?" asked Athena loudly.

"I'm just doin' my job. Unlike yer types, I actually work hard to make a livin'. Y'all are probably rollin' in money what with defendin' those criminals."

_Tell my bank account that, lady…_

Phoenix finally spoke up, "Listen, Miss, you haven't even told us your name…"

The woman looked at Phoenix and suddenly her whole expression changed. She began playing with her brown hair and her eyes suddenly took on a dreamy look. "Right back at ya, handsome."

Phoenix's eyes went wide. "Wh-wh-what?!"

"You tell me your name and I tell you mine…"

"Ph-Ph-Phoenix Wright," said Phoenix, completely confounded.

"Lizzy Tanner…" she breathed. "Whad'ya say we ditch the talkin' banana and get to know each other?"

Athena suddenly realized something. Phoenix wouldn't like it, but it was the only way. "Of course! I'll give you two some space."

Phoenix stared at Athena in shock. "What are you doing?"

Athena leaned into Phoenix's ear and whispered, "Boss, this may be our chance to find out where Bosse is. If you can get her to talk, we might be able to find Mr Bosse."

Phoenix sucked in a deep breath. "Fine."

As Phoenix left to go talk with the _woman_, Athena once more scoured the crime scene again, just for personal insurance. She turned over a few parts, combing through the entire scene when she finally noticed something. It was black and went on for a bit; it looked like skid marks.

**Skid Marks added to Court Record.**

She looked around a bit more, but wasn't able to find anything. Then, she thought of something. She went to the entrance to look for something important.

_Mr Amenda said the Rod came back to the pits. If that's right, there has to be security recording of this. Maybe I can find some security recordings of this guy._

As she was walking, she she decided to pay a bit of attention to the scenery around her. Looking at the grass near the middle, she noticed a strange looking object. She walked into the grass and grabbed the object.

It was a large, rectangular brick. What's more, it had a piece of string attached to it. It wasn't near the car in any way, almost the opposite side to it, but it still piqued her interest.

_There's something strange. Maybe I'd better take this._

**Brick added to Court Record.**

* * *

**August 7, 2029 12:10 PM**

**Auto Club Speedway**

**Security Room**

* * *

The door was closed, but the sign outside read '_Security__'_. Athena knocked on the door, only for it to be immediately yanked open.

Before her stood an _old_ lady, huffing and puffing, air fogging up the — was that a fish bowl? — helmet on her head.

She let out an ear-piercing shriek and rattled the ray gun in her hands.

"What the heck do you think you're doing, whippersnapper? I was getting back to work when you bothered me. Young'uns these days don't ever care about responsibilities. I remember when I was a kid, back when we actually for pay. We were the toughest little rascals around. Welovedtoworkbutnowit'salljust—"

Athena covered her ears, but the old lady just kept blabbering about whatever came to her mind.

Finally, unable to tolerate it any longer, Widget exclaimed, "_Just stop it, already!_"

That shut up the old windbag. She glared at Athena and said, "Anyways, what do you want?"

"M-My name is Athena Cykes. I'm defending Mr Amenda in court tomorrow. He said that Mr Runner returned to the stadium yesterday night. I wanted to know if—"

The woman became frenzied. "No! I'm not giving you whippersnappers _anything, especially_ the security recordings. That man in the black said that I couldn't. If you want to take it from me, you're going to have to pry it from my cold, dead hands."

_Not like you have much longer left, lady._

"I know what you're thinking: 'Not like you have much longer left, lady.' Just get out of my office, whippersnapper, if you know what's good for you."

With that, the woman grabbed Athena by the shoulders and pushed her out of the room. The door slammed shut.

Athena saw Phoenix returning from talking to the other lady. Suddenly, she got an idea.

_He won't like this very much, but I hope he understands._

"_Hey! Security Lady! I caught someone trespassing in the halls!" Athena bellowed out__._

The door was jerked open, just as Phoenix froze. His mouth dropped.

"…Athena, what are y—No, not _her_! _Anyone but the Oldbag!_"

"Of course it's you. It was always you. You young'uns have no respect for me or the law. It's just like you, whippersnapper. I see you haven't changed in ten years. You'll always be the same annoying spiky-haired brat I met back at Global Studios on the day of my precious Hammer's death."

She ran at Phoenix, who turned around and began running backwards.

"Oh no ya don't! _He's mine, lady!"_

Tanner had returned and from the looks of it, thought that Oldbag was also after Phoenix. She ran right towards them. Phoenix suddenly stopped and shrugged, allowing the situation to play out on its own.

All three of them smashed into each other, with Phoenix in the middle. An all-out brawl was going on in the hallway! Phoenix, Oldbag, and Tanner were all rolling around on the floor, with poor Phoenix trying his hardest to escape with his back intact.

In the meantime, Athena slipped into the security room. It wasn't hard to log into the computer - the Oldbag didn't keep it password-protected - and downloaded the video surveillance footage onto Widget.

**Video Surveillance added to Court Record.**

Athena checked the video just to make sure she'd acquired the right footage and sure enough, she had.

_That looks like the victim walking in, but what's he carrying? He has a big bag with him._

She turned off Widget's hologram and quickly escaped.

The brawl was still going on when she left, and rolling her sleeves up, Athena dived in to pull Phoenix out. Once he was safely out of the way, the two woman, panting and practically foaming at the mouth, also stopped.

Oldbag walked away from Phoenix—into her security room—and he told Tanner that he had some work to do with Athena. He would return _tomorrow_; Athena didn't even _need_ Widget to tell her it wasn't happening. After Tanner had left, Phoenix turned to Athena.

"What did you do that for?"

Athena flashed him a peace sign. "Forget _that_. Did you find out anything?"

Phoenix nodded and smiled. "Yep. You know that Bosse fellow? Turns out he's staying in a trailer right outside this stadium."

Athena grinned before replying, "Well then, let's get going!"

* * *

**August 7, 2029 2:13 PM**

**Auto Club Speedway**

**Trailer Park – Outside Bosse's Trailer**

* * *

After they'd stopped to get some lunch, they made their way to a large sleek trailer. Athena rapped the door three times.

No response.

She knocked again.

No response.

"Come on, Athena, we'll try again another time."

Just as they turned to leave, the door opened.

Standing behind it was a monster of a man. He was tall, muscular, and wore a ten-gallon hat. He had a white-colored Texan-inspired suit, with gold embroidery. His hair looked like it was dyed black. He looked at Athena and Phoenix, mostly at Phoenix, though. Then, his face split into a wide smile, his handlebar mustache twitching.

"You must be the boy trying out to join my team," he boomed out, going straight toward Phoenix with outstretched arms.

_"What am I? Dead meat?"_

The man turned around and gave Athena a look of confusion.

"Widget, if you don't shut up, I swear…" she muttered under her breath.

Bosse shook his head and turned his attention back to Phoenix, "So, when did you say you're going to join my team?"

Phoenix's eyes went wide. "I-I never said I would."

"The name's Bosse, Richard Bosse. And I don't take no for an answer, Mr…"

"The name's Wright, Mr Bosse, Phoenix Wright. I'm a defense attorney. My student, Athena Cykes, here is defending Mr Amenda in court tomorrow."

"You're representing that boy? I never should've picked him up. I knew he was a bad egg from the start. Now why don't you two come in? Especially you, sir. You know we need new a new racer now that Rod's been killed." Bosse added a hearty laugh at the end.

With a hearty laugh, he opened the door and they entered.

The trailer was much bigger on the inside than it was on the outside; it resembled an actual house, with proper furniture from the plush satin sofa and flat screen TV on one end to the ornate and antiquated chairs and tables at the back beside the bedroom. Hell, even the walls were wallpapered blue with black fleurs-de-lys and adorned with a few kitsch paintings.

Bosse gestured for them to come to the back and as they made their way over, Athena noticed a small round table with a deck of cards on it and if she looked up, there was a small circular indentation on the wall.

_Why is there a dent there? That doesn't make sense._

**Dent in Wall added to Court Record.**

"So… what are you two here for?" asked Bosse after they'd taken their seats.

"We're here to talk about the murder. I heard Mr Wilde say that you visited Mr Amenda before the crime," said Athena.

"Yeah, I did. So what?"

"Well, do you remember what you guys talked about?"

Bosse sighed. "Well, I never suspected the boy for a murderer, but he just kept talking about how Rodrick wasn't good for the team. I mean… I know that personally. Just take a look at this."

Bosse handed Athena a newspaper. Athena opened it and started reading.

_'Number 42 Loses All Races This Season.' _

_Wow, that _is_ pretty bad._

**Newspaper Clipping added to Court Record.**

Bosse turned his head to Phoenix. "Anyways, I want to know when you plan on joining the team. There's quite a bit of money to be made."

Phoenix eyes widened. "Erm… I don't think so, Mr Bosse. You see, I barely know the first thing about driving."

"Oh, that's no problem! If you crash, we'll pay for your funeral. Ha!" said Bosse, laughing.

Athena looked behind Bosse as he continued laughing and noticed something strange behind him.

"Mr Bosse, I have another question to ask you."

"Fire away, Miss Cykes."

"Why are there those tools behind you?"

"Oh, those! Well I wished I could have been a racer once, but that dream never came true. After my Papa died, I was kind of forced to become a mechanic. Eventually I made enough money to put into stocks. Then I got into racing and decided to start this team."

_I don't __hear__any discord __in__that statement, so it must be true. But there is something strange about that toolbox. I just can't put my finger on it. I'll add it to the record, just in case._

**Toolbox added to Court Record.**

Athena leaned over to Phoenix's ear and whispered, "Boss, can you keep this guy busy? I want some alone time to get more evidence."

"Are you kidding me? After the last two times?" asked Phoenix, exasperated.

"_Please,_" begged Athena, giving him her famous puppy dog eyes.

Phoenix sighed and relented. "Mr Bosse, how about we talk more about this racing career you seem intent on giving me? I can decide if I want to or not if you give me more information. I don't think my subordinate wants to hear all this, though."

"Nope. Can I just stay in here, Mr Bosse?"

Bosse's eyes narrowed for a moment, but eventually a warm expression crossed his face. "Go ahead! I'll go talk with this boy outside. Make sure you don't break anything, Miss."

Phoenix and Bosse got up and went outside, leaving Athena alone inside. The first thing she did was get up and go to the other side. She opened the top left drawer, pulling out whatever papers she could. One specifically caught her eye.

It was a set of checks written to Mr Runner by Bosse. She counted it out and found that Runner made a whopping two million dollars a year.

_He made _that _much money? Our firm doesn't even make a _fifth _of that. If I wasn't an attorney, I'd surely just sign up for this. Driving around a track doesn't seem too hard._

**Collection of Checks added to Court Record.**

_Hmm… That seems to be it in there. Maybe I can find something else._

Athena looked into the other drawers with no luck, finding nothing too important. She opened the closet doors, finding nothing. Eventually, she kicked the trash can out of frustration, causing it to fall onto the floor.

As she made to pick up the garbage, a small piece of paper caught her eye.

_ It's a ripped piece of a receipt, but doesn't have any company listed on it. All it has is this one code: '__2D6G.' Then, there are those three weird lines before the first digit._

**Piece of Receipt added to Court Record.**

_That's all to be found here, I think…_

Athena walked around to her chair. Within a few more minutes, Phoenix and Bosse returned, with Phoenix looking exhausted.

"Are you sure about this, Phoenix, my boy? We could make a lot of money together, you and I." said Bosse insistently.

"I'm sure, Mr Bosse. Although the offer is tempting, I think I'm already good enough being an attorney." said Phoenix, with a tone of finality.

_I bet I know the reason why that offer sounds so tempting…_

"Anyways, I think we'd better get going, Mr Bosse. Athena and I have a trial to conduct tomorrow."

"Aww… and I really enjoyed having you around," said Bosse, looking glumly down at the floor.

"Yeah, see ya, Mr Bosse," said Athena, flashing him a peace sign.

August 7, 2029 4:33 PM

Wright Anything Agency

"Do you think this is enough evidence for the trial, Mr Wright?" asked Athena, overlooking her collection of items.

Phoenix smiled gently at his protégé. "If that's all you found, then that's all you found."

Athena smiled at Phoenix. She was as nervous, of course, as she was for any trial. She didn't know who did it just yet, but she had a suspicion. It would all have to come to light in court tomorrow.

"Athena, you want some coffee?" asked Phoenix, holding two cups of the drink in his hand.

"Thanks, Boss," said Athena, taking her coffee and sipping at it. It was bitter, but it was what she needed after a long, exhausting day out.

Afterward, she did some extra paperwork Phoenix had left for her and left the agency for the night.

She hoped that she could be as good a lawyer as him one day.

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

**_Attorney's Badge:_ This is proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

**_Photo of Head Injury:_ A picture that I took of my client's face. There's a bruise on his forehead.**

**_Oil Stains:_ I found this in the pits. These are oil stains that come from the car when its oil got changed. There must have been some maintenance work.**

**_Blood Stain:_ A very tiny bloodstain that was near the oil stains. I don't know who it belongs to, but it looks pretty suspicious.**

**_Zipper:_ A red colored zipper found in the maintenance area. I know it doesn't belong to my client.**

**_Screwdriver:_ A screwdriver I found in the trash in the pits.**

**_Piece of Plastic:_ A piece of plastic I found at the wreckage. The police don't seem to have noticed it under the ash. It contains a few letters and numbers—'**_**A5S4'**_**—before being cut off**_**.**_

**_Broken Wrench:_ A broken wrench the Boss found at the bombed car. It's mostly burnt and bent, but it looks like one of the missing tools Mr. ****Wilde**** was talking about.**

**_Skid Marks:_ Skid Marks that were found near the scene of the explosion. They're drawn out for a bit.**

**_Brick:_ A brick that was found quite far from the wreck of the car. It has a piece of string attached to it.**

**_Video Surveillance Record:_ A video record of who went in and out of the stadium. It seems that the victim returned to the scene of the crime around the time of the bombing.**

**_Dent in Wall:_ Strange dent in the wall I found in Mr Bosse's home. I don't know what it could mean at this point.**

**_Newspaper Clipping:_ A newspaper clipping which shows that Rod lost all his races so far this season. I****t was a clipping from about two weeks ago.**** Given to me by Mr Bosse.**

**_Toolbox:_ A toolbox found in Mr Bosse's home. I don't know why, but it seems important to me.**

**_Collection of Checks:_ A collection of checks showing that the victim was paid millions by Mr Bosse.**

**_Piece of Receipt:_ A torn piece of a receipt found in Mr Bosse's trash can that has the code **_**2D6G. Before the first digit, there's what looks like three small horizontal lines.**_

**Profiles:**

**_Phoenix Wright (age 36):_ An excellent defence attorney, known widely as the '**_**Turnabout Terror.**_**' He's my mentor and role model.**

**_Ema Skye (age 28):_ The detective/forensics investigator assigned to this case. She's pretty friendly with me and Apollo, but science is her one true love.**

**_Simon Blackquill (age 30):_ He's an old friend of mine who's the prosecutor for this case. Formerly known as the '**_**Twisted Samurai**_**,' he was in prison until about two years ago. He's also a psychologist.**

**_Röd Runner (age 25):_ Rodrick Runner, the victim of this case. He was killed by a bomb in his racecar.**

**_Carlos Amenda (age 28):_ My client, who is accused of murder. He was the team mechanic and was fixing the car on the night of the crime.**

**_Pitt _**_**Wilde**_**_ (age 23):_ He's a witness for this case. He works for the race team as a pit crew member. He changes the tires during a pit stop.**

**_Lizzy Tanner (age 4_**_**4)**_**_:_ A lady who works for the pit crew. She seems to have a "crush" on Mr Wright.**

**_Richard Bosse (age _**_**55**_**_):_ The sponsor of the racing team the victim raced for. He is very rich, considering how much he can afford to pay people.**

**_Wendy Oldbag (age ?):_ Some old lady ****who**** seems to know Mr Wright. He doesn't seem too fond of her.**


	6. Turnabout to the Races! - Part 3

**Trial - Day 1 - Part 1**

* * *

_There was a woman standing __on the witness stand__, with black hair running down to her shoulders and green eyes__, wearing a suit._

_She looked with complete acrimony at Athena. She pulled her head back and laughed the same shrill, horrifying laugh as before. _

_ Athena forced her eyes shut, and covered her ears, trying to block it out. _

_But it didn't work. _

_She still heard that horrible cackle. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard, like knives scraping against a throat. It was a horrible, discordant laugh, and even when it had died down, Athena still heard it, constantly ringing in her ears._

_ "Here is your _gift_, now_. _I hope you like it_. _Ha!"_

_The woman moved a hand into her waistcoat and pulled out a silver object. It glinted in the light._

"_Athena, get down!"_

* * *

**August 8, 2029 6:02 AM**

**Athena Cykes' Apartment**

* * *

Athena woke up, wide-eyed again. It was the same damn dream she'd been having since the Phantom had been locked away. That nightmare had just been replaced by another one.

She turned around and glanced at the time displayed on her phone.

_Oh, hell! I don't have time to loiter here! I have a courtroom to get to today._

Athena leapt off her bed and into the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth and changed into her jogging clothes.

She ran her usual distance — two miles both ways — and came back to drink her orange juice and eat her cereal.

She reviewed her case notes one last time while she got ready in the bathroom; Widget had waterproof functions, allowing her to view the holograms from inside the shower.

_Victim is R__ö__d Runner, defendant is Carlos Amenda, cause of death is explosion…._

It was nine by the time Athena had finished going over the files and her evidence, and was fully dressed. She still had thirty minutes before she had to head into court, so she turned on the TV to catch up on the news.

She flicked mindlessly through the channels until she found the European news outlets. One specifically caught her eye; a recording of a trial the previous day in Munich, and representing the prosecution was a woman, made up smartly, with silver hair down to her shoulders and blue eyes that held a serious but calm expression. There was no mistaking the whip coiled into her belt buckle.

The case seemed to be a very important one, involving money laundering, financial embezzlement and murder using unlicensed weapons, meaning two other prosecutors took up the bench beside this woman.

Athena watched in amazement as she and her colleagues effortlessly brushed aside the state-appointed attorney's objections, barely allowing the defense team a moment of reprieve.

_Wow, she's still going strong at it._

After some more time, the defendant was, inevitably, declared guilty and Athena switched off the TV.

_You have a trial starting in forty-five minutes. No time to watch TV!_

* * *

**August 8, 2029 9:45 AM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby No. 1**

* * *

"Athena, you're here!" said Phoenix, looking over to the door where Athena had just walked in. "And you're fifteen minutes early, unlike usual."

"I'm always here on time!" shouted Athena, justifiably angry at Phoenix.

"Of course you are," said Phoenix, rolling his eyes, a playful smile appearing on his face.

_Simon must have told him about Bucky. He can't possibly hold _that _against me…can he?_

"_Hola_, _Señorita_ Cykes," said Amenda, looking happier than she'd ever seen him.

"_Hola _to you as well, Mr. Amenda," said Athena, flashing him a peace sign.

Amenda scratched his head nervously. "I want to say _gracias_ again for taking my case, _Señorita_ Cykes."

"Aww, don't worry about a thing. The rest is up to me," said Athena, grinning.

_"Us, you mean."_

"You aren't even a part of this conversation, Widget," said Athena grouchily, looking down at the small infiltrator.

"Are you sure you're ready for the trial, Athena?" asked Phoenix.

"Sure am, Boss. I went over the files so many times!" said Athena excitedly.

"You sure you're the Athena from a couple of months ago?" said Phoenix, smiling at her.

Athena flashed another peace sign. "Yep! I'm always Athena Cykes!"

The bailiff's voice sounded from the door. "The trial is about to begin. Will the defense and defendant make their way to the courtroom?"

"It's time! Don't worry, Mr. Amenda! Just trust in me!"

* * *

**August 8, 2029 10:00 AM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 1**

* * *

The Judge banged his gavel, silencing the courtroom. He cleared his throat.

"Court is now in session for the trial of Carlos Amenda!"

Athena looked up. "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

Blackquill lazily turned around to face the courtroom, Taka perched on his shoulder. "The usual, Your Baldness."

The Judge understood and immediately began the opening statement.

"The victim in this case was Rodrick Runner, otherwise known as Röd Runner, Driver 42 for NASCAR. He was killed by a bomb planted in his car at around 8:45 PM. As I understand it, the only person who could have committed the crime was Mr. Amenda, the team's mechanic. That's about it. Does the defense have anything to say?"

Athena shook her head. "No, Your Honor."

"Bailiff, please hand the defense a copy of the autopsy report."

The bailiff took the autopsy report currently being used by the Judge and gave it to Athena.

**Autopsy Report added to Court Record.**

The Judge nodded. "Alright. The prosecution may call their first witness."

"The prosecution hereby calls Ema Skye to the stand."

The doors opened to reveal Ema who briskly made her way to the witness stand.

"Witness, name and occupation," said Blackquill succinctly.

"My name is Ema Skye, and I'm a forensic investigator," said Ema robotically.

Blackquill nodded."Your testimony, please. Keep it short and to the point, like a blade."

* * *

Witness Testimony

-The Crime Scene-

1) The police department received a call two nights ago at around 9 PM for an explosion on the Auto Club Speedway.

2) The victim was doing some practice laps around the track after losing that day, when the bomb blew up.

3) When we investigated the wreckage, we found that the car had a bomb planted in it.

4) Since the defendant was the team's mechanic, he was the only one who had the proper knowledge and tools to do it.

5) The defendant also had a motive.

6) He wanted revenge for being fired by the victim.

* * *

"That's about it," finished Ema.

"Thank you, Skye-dono." Blackquill nodded before adding, "Ah, lest I forget, the prosecution has proof of motive."

The Judge was handed a copy of the letter by Taka, who perched himself on his head. Athena was handed a copy of the letter by a bailiff.

_How come he gets it the cool way?_

**Typed** **Letter added to Court Record**

"I see, I see! Yes, this looks very incriminating!" The judge said. He turned to Athena. "The defense may proceed with the Cross-Examination."

"Athena."

Athena turned to look at Phoenix, who was rubbing his chin. "There aren't any contradictions on the surface of this testimony, so if you want to find one, you're going to have to press for them."

"Yes, Boss."

_Why does everyone treat me like an idiot?_

Cross-Examination

-The Crime Scene-

1) The police department received a call two nights ago at around 9 PM for an explosion on the Auto Club Speedway.

_**Hold It!**_

"Do you know who gave you this call?" asked Athena.

"No, I don't. The caller didn't tell us their name," said Ema.

_That's really suspicious. Why not say your name?_

"Do you remember what they said?"

"Well, yeah. They just said that they'd seen the victim's car explode on the racetrack."

"So the victim was driving?

Ema tugged on a strand of hair. "Bit obvious, isn't it? So…"

2) The victim was doing some practice laps around the track after losing that day, when the bomb blew up.

_**Hold It!**_

"He was doing 'practice laps'?" asked Athena, playing with her earring.

"Yeah."

"So, was it a proper qualifying session or just...he was taking the car out for a spin?" asked Athena.

"The latter," Ema confirmed. "We've spoken to those who worked with the victim; turns out he had a tendency to taking his car out for a spin after a bad race. To release tension and stress, they said."

_I can think of healthier, less dangerous outlets…_

"A psychological profile conducted some months prior to his untimely death found that our victim had a history of anger management issues, and a tendency to take to drink," Blackquill added.

"He had anger issues?" Athena echoed, shocked; she never heard about _this_.

Blackquill's eyes narrowed. "I'd've thought you'd be one to look into this sort of thing. This history, coupled with the letter, provides our frustrated little grease monkey with plenty of motive to plant an explosive in the victim's car."

Ema nodded. "Yeah, and…"

3) When we investigated the wreckage, we found that the car had a bomb planted in it.

_**Hold It!**_

"But you couldn't have found the bomb. It already blew up!" shouted Athena.

Ema rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Of course we didn't find the full bomb. That's just not possible."

"So what _did_ you find?" asked Athena, giving the detective an intense stare.

"Plenty of bomb fragments," said Ema. She reached into her pouch, pulling out a piece of plastic in a sealable bag. "See?"

Ema gave the evidence to the bailiff, who handed it over to Athena.

**Piece of the Bomb added to Court Record.**

_This looks a bit familiar. It has F4W and then what looks like an E, but it's been partly cut off. _

"The car was moving when the bomb blew up," Ema explained. "And…"

4) Since the defendant was the team's mechanic, he was the only one who had the proper knowledge and tools to do it.

_**Hold It!**_

"A-Are you sure?" asked Athena, not even sure of her own question.

_And now I feel like a rookie..._

"Sure of what?" asked Ema.

"That only the defendant could have done it."

Ema frowned. "Given the evidence in front of me, that's the conclusion I can draw now."

Blackquill nodded, and turned to Athena. "Why, are you insinuating otherwise, Cykes-dono?"

"Uh, no."

_Jeez, it was just a guess!_

Athena turned her gaze back to Ema. "Could you please repeat your testimony?"

Ema shrugged. "Fine by me."

2) The victim was doing some practice laps around the track after losing that day, when the bomb blew up.

_**Hold It!**_

Athena turned on Widget's holographic display."You said earlier that the bomb blew up while Mr Runner was driving. Could you please add that to your testimony?"

Ema shrugged again. "Sure thing."

3) The bomb blew up while the victim's car was driving around the track.

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena smirked. "Sorry, Detective Skye, but there's a contradiction in your testimony."

"H-Huh? There is?"

Athena nodded and then slammed her hand onto her desk. "Prosecutor Blackquill! You claimed that the bomb went off while the car was still moving. This is impossible as there are skid marks near the location of the explosion. They show that, prior to the explosion, the victim attempted to stop the car."

"And…? I fail see to see what you're implying here."

Athena smirked at Blackquill. "I'll tell you what it means; there are skid marks near the explosion, indicating the victim attempted to brake before the bomb went off. Now, why would he do that?"

Blackquill tapped his temple. "I don't know. Why don't you tell us why the lad braked?"

Athena sighed.

_Guess I'll play along with this round of 'Simon Says'._

"He braked because he saw the bomb on the track; the bomb wasn't planted in his car, meaning there must've been someone who put it there!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

Blackquill tapped his forehead, smirking at Athena. "Observe the CCTV footage, and it will be absolutely clear that only the victim can be spotted walking onto the track. He was the only soul to remain on those premises throughout. However, other individuals were present on the race grounds."

Blackquill pointed to a display that played the tape, directing the court's attention to a video of someone who looked like Runner walking in from the paddock onto the track with a rather bulky bag in his hands. His face, however, was obscured by a black cap, creating a shadow which masked his features.

_ What could be inside it? Wait! I can't think about that now. You can't see his face, so how can you assume that it is the victim?_

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena slammed her hands onto the defense's bench. "You can't see the person's face! For all you know, it might be someone else!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

Blackquill slammed his hands onto his bench. "Utterly pointless nonsense. One needs to only take a glance to see that this man resembles our victim quite perfectly, from his garments to his height and build! Never mind the ruddy cap!"

The gallery erupted into conversation, forcing the judge to slam his gavel down to bring order back.

_Dammit. He's right. _

Blackquill cleared his throat.

"Your Baldness, I'd like to call my next witness; an individual who can confirm the car's state at the time of the explosion."

Ema looked at Blackquill. "Does this mean I can go?"

Blackquill features softened slightly; Athena almost swore she could see the ghost of a smile play up on his lips. "Of course, Skye-dono. You have served…admirably today. I thank you for your time."

Athena watched as Ema left the courtroom with a grin on her face.

_How come I don't get that?_

As though he knew what she was thinking, Phoenix focused on at Athena with a small smile. "Athena. What you did there was good. You managed to catch Blackquill off his guard for a second there. But one problem was that the leap in logic wasn't supported, at least not yet."

Athena smiled appreciatively. "I understand. Thanks, Boss."

"The individual I would like to bring to the court's attention is a woman named Elizabeth Tanner," Blackquill clarified.

_Not this woman again…_

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

_**Attorney's Badge**_**: This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Autopsy Report:**_** 08/07, 7:45-9 PM; Cause of Death: Explosion and shrapnel from a bomb.**

_**Photo of Head Injury:**_** A picture that I took of my client's face. There's a bruise on his forehead.**

_**Oil Stains:**_** I found this in the pits. These are oil stains that come from the car when its oil got changed. There must have been some maintenance work.**

_**Blood Stain:**_** A very tiny bloodstain that was near the oil stains. I don't know who it belongs to, but it looks pretty suspicious.**

_**Zipper:**_** A red colored zipper found in the maintenance area. I know it doesn't belong to my client.**

_**Screwdriver:**_** A screwdriver I found in the trash in the pits.**

_**Piece of Plastic:**_** A piece of plastic I found at the wreckage. The police don't seem to have noticed it under the ash. It contains a few letters and numbers—'A5S4'—before being cut off.**

_**Broken Wrench:**_** A broken wrench the Boss found at the bombed car. It's mostly burnt and bent, but it looks like one of the missing tools Mr Wilde was talking about.**

_**Skid Marks:**_** Skid Marks that were found near the scene of the explosion. They're drawn out for a bit.**

_**Brick:**_** A brick that was found near the wreck of the car. It has a string attached to it.**

_**Video Surveillance Record:**_** A video record of who went in and out of the stadium. It seems that the victim returned to the scene of the crime around the time of the bombing.**

_**Dent in Wall:**_** Strange dent in wall found in Mr Bosse's home. I don't know what it could mean at this point.**

_**Newspaper Clipping:**_** A newspaper clipping which shows that Mr Runner lost all his races so far this season. It was a clipping from about two weeks ago. Given to me by Mr Bosse.**

_**Toolbox:**_** A toolbox found in Mr Bosse's home. I don't know why, but it seems important to me.**

_**Collection of Checks:**_** A collection of checks showing that the victim was paid millions by Mr Bosse. They probably bounced because of his situation.**

_**Piece of Receipt:**_** A torn piece of a receipt found in Mr Bosse's trash can that has the code 2D6G. Before the first digit, there's what looks like three small horizontal lines.**

_**Typed Letter:**_** A typed letter that I found that Simon presented in the courtroom. It gives what seems to be a proper motive.**

_**Piece of the Bomb:**_** A piece of the bomb with the code F4W and then what looks like an E, but it's been partly cut off. It looks familiar.**

**Profiles:**

_**Phoenix Wright**__**(age 36):**_** An excellent defence attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model.**

_**Ema Skye (age 28):**_** The detective/forensics investigator assigned to this case. She's pretty friendly with me and Apollo, but science is her one true love.**

_**Simon Blackquill (age 30):**_** He's an old friend of mine who's the prosecutor for this case. Formerly known as the 'Twisted Samurai,' he was in prison until about two years ago. He's also a psychologist.**

_**Röd Runner (age 25):**_** Rodrick Runner, the victim in this case. He was killed by a bomb in his racecar.**

_**Carlos Amenda (age 28):**_** My client, who is accused of murder. He was the team mechanic and was fixing the car on the night of the crime.**

_**Pitt Wilde (age 26):**_** He's a witness for this case. He works for the race team as a pit crew member. He changes the tires during a pit stop. He loves making stupid jokes.**

_**Lizzy Tanner (age 44):**_** A lady who works for the pit crew. She seems to have a "crush" on Mr Wright, and now on Simon...**

_**Richard Bosse (age 55):**_** The sponsor of the racing team the victim raced for. He is actually broke and paying people using loans.**

_**Wendy Oldbag (age ?):**_** Some old lady who seems to know Mr Wright. He doesn't seem too fond of her.**


	7. Turnabout to the Races! - Part 4

**Trial - Day 1 - Part 2**

* * *

**August 8, 2029 11:10 AM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 1**

* * *

The doors opened slowly, revealing a slightly pudgy woman with blue eyes and brown hair, which fell to her shoulders with many curls. She walked up to the witness stand, looking as annoyed as ever. Phoenix immediately ducked behind the bench, not wanting Tanner to see him.

"I hope y'all're gonna let me go real quick after this," Tanner grumbled. Eyeing Athena, she added, "Unlike some of us, other folks have real jobs."

"Name and occupation, please."

Then, her eyes rested on Blackquill, widening. She began to blush.

Athena struggled to hold back a giggle.

_Go get him, girl! I'll give you his number!_

"Did you not hear me, witness? I asked—"

Tanner gave him a "I heard ya…_handsome._"

Blackquill leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. He took in the woman in front of him. After a few seconds, he gave up and managed a confused, "Sorry?"

"I said, I heard ya… _handsome._"

There was the barest hint of red on Blackquill's pale cheeks. Athena watched as he opened and closed his mouth, seemingly lost for words, before he eventually settled on. "The witness will refrain from wanton displays of affection."

Phoenix sighed in relief and emerged from under the bench. Clearly, Tanner had forgotten all about him, choosing to go after Blackquill.

"Aww… Am I too _affectionate_ for ya?" she cooed, obviously unaffected by the prosecutor's denial. Blackquill did not answer her question.

"Witness, c—"

"Oh, please just call me Lizzy, _handsome_," cooed Tanner. She waved her hand at him, attempting to mimic a cute pose.

"Your Baldness!" said Blackquill, slamming his hands onto the bench.

"Oh, coming to me now, are we?" asked the Judge, amused by this turn of events. He seemed reluctant to help the poor prosecutor.

"You do _not_ want to play this game with me, Your Baldness," threatened Blackquill, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Athena began to snicker loudly.

Blackquill gave her a dangerous look. "Cykes-dono, don't you _dare_."

Phoenix's eyes went wide. He frantically turned to Athena.

"Athena. Stop. Now." he ordered.

Athena's giggles finally died out. "Okay, okay."

The Judge slammed his gavel, a smile still on his face. "The witness will refrain from attempting to flirt or otherwise distract either counsel. Any further attempts, and you will be held in contempt of court."

"Okay. Wait ta ruin a lady's fun," Tanner grumbled under her breath.

The Judge cleared his throat. "Now then, witness. I want your name and occupation for the record."

She put on a straight face for the first time. "Elizabeth Tanner. I work for the pit crew."

"Very well then. Your testimony, if you please," Blackquill ordered.

Tanner blushed. "Sure."

* * *

Witness Testimony

-The Track-

1) I was just watchin' the track, ya know because I'm part of a team, when I saw Rod drivin' down it.

2) I was behind it so I couldn't see what was in front of it.

3) He was drivin' fast and didn't look like he'd stop.

4) I turned back 'round 'cause I didn't give a hoot what he was doin'.

5) After a while, I heard'n explosion.

6) When I looked back at 'im, what I saw was the car in pieces.

* * *

"The defense may cross-examine the witness," said the Judge, clearing his throat.

Tanner sighed. "Do I really have to be reviewed by the banana?"

Athena's eyes narrowed. "Yes, you do, Ms. Tanner," she said. It took everything she had not to scream at the woman standing in front of her.

Cross-Examination

-The Track-

5) After a while, I heard'n explosion.

_**Hold It!**_

"Is that the only sound you heard?" asked Athena.

"Yup. I'm sure of it."

"Can you correct your testimony?"

5) The only sound I heard was the explosion.

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Sorry, Ms. Tanner, but that's not the only thing you had to have heard."

"Whad'ya mean?" asked Tanner, looking nervous.

Athena presented the skid marks to the court. "If you had heard the explosion, you would have also heard Mr Runner's tires on the track as he tried to break before he hit the bomb."

The colour drained out of Tanner's face. "Well, I...I forgot that!"

Then she turned to Blackquill, positively making heart eyes at him. "Can I testify again, pretty please?"

"Hmph. Do as you please." Blackquill conceded, and leaned down on his bench. "However, should you fail to make note of every detail of your eyewitness account, I shall have His Baldness charge you with perjury."

"Um, okay…"

* * *

Witness Testimony

-The Truth-

1) I _did_ hear his damn car stop. Ya happy now?

2) That's when I turned 'round to see it better for m'self.

3) His car just stood there for some time, not even movin'. Nothin' happened.

4) And then, I don't know what happened, but after a few minutes, the car started to move again.

5) Then, the explosion happened.

* * *

_There was some discord there. I think I'd better call in the cavalry._

"What utter rubbish is this, witness?!" Blackquill rebuked. "You failed to mention any of this in our discussion yesterday."

Tanner nervously tugged at her hair. "I-I was told not to tell ya. I'm sorry, handsome."

"By whom?"

"I-I can't say," Tanner finally replied, eyes darting between Blackquill and Athena.

The Judge frowned, before turning to Athena. "Is there something on your mind, Ms Cykes?"

"Oh! I was thinking a quick therapy session would be in order here."

He nodded. "I'll allow it."

* * *

Cross-Examination

Psycho-Analysis

-The Truth-

1) I _did_ hear his damn car stop. Ya happy now?

Happiness, Distress, **Anger**, Surprise

2) That's when I turned 'round to see it better for m'self.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, Surprise

3) His car just stood there for some time, not even movin'. Nothin' happened.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, **Surprise**

4) And then, I don't know what happened, but after a few minutes, the car started to move again.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, **Surprise**

5) Then, the explosion happened.

Happiness, **Distress**, Anger, **Surprise**

* * *

_**Noise Level:  
100%**_

_Why was she surprised when the car remained stopped? Did something happen?_

3) It was stopped there for some time, not even movin'. Nothin' happened there.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, **Surprise**

_**Got It!**_

"Ms. Tanner, when you saw the car stay stationary, you were surprised." asked Athena.

"Yeah, so?" she asked deceptively.

"It doesn't make sense. Why were you surprised? Did something happen at that time?" questioned Athena, gauging her reaction.

"Oh yeah! A guy came ou—" She immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. "I didn't mean to say that."

The court erupted into conversation, only to be silenced by the Judge once again slamming his gavel.

Athena slammed a hand onto the bench. "You tried to hide something else!"

Tanner began to play with her hair. "Sorry."

"So a guy came out of the car when it was stopped?"

"Yeah, that's right. He was big, tall, muscular, and he wore a cap." Tanner happily chirped.

"A cap?"

"Yeah, a black one."

Blackquill's eye twitched, yet he didn't say a single word.

_I don't hear any discord there, but that can't be true._

"Add that to your testimony, please."

_**Noise Level  
**_**_0%  
_****_Bye-Bye!_**

4) A person got out of the car and ran away wearing a black cap.

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena smirked. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible, Ms. Tanner, and the prosecution very well knows why."

Blackquill grimaced, his eyes narrowing. He was listening to every word Athena was saying.

"Huh? What's wrong with it?"

Athena smirked. "Prosecutor Blackquill, remember what you gave to the court earlier? The surveillance footage?"

"Of course. It shows the vict—"

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena continued, interrupting Blackquill. "Does it really? According to what this witness just said, the person who ran, who shouldn't exist in the first place, wore a black cap. The person in the video surveillance showed that the _victim_ wore a cap as well. Now, we know for a fact that the victim died, so how could he have gotten out of the car?"

Blackquill maintained his silence.

"The only plausible explanation for this is that someone else, other than the victim was driving the car that night! This would mean that the victim _was already dead at the time of the bombing._"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"If you're so certain of that, then answer me this: why did the vehicle remain immobile and how did it start up again?"

_Right. The elephant in the room._

Athena began to play with her earring. "Umm…"

"Before you answer that, I'd like to present blueprints; the car was a Ford Fusion model, deliberately tinkered with to achieve higher speeds. Such high speeds are necessary in the realm of racing."

The bailiff handed the blueprints to Athena, allowing her to finally see what exactly the car looked like from a mechanical standpoint.

**Car Blueprints added to Court Record.**

_It says here that it takes very little weight for the accelerator to be pushed down. That makes sense, it makes it easier for the driver's foot to keep it down. That may be important._

"Now, answer the question, Cykes-dono. How exactly did the vehicle move again?"

_I guess it's time to bluff. Please don't fail me now!_

"In order for the car to move, there needs to be weight on the accelerator. Something needed to have been placed on the accelerator in order to move it."

"Yes, and what would have permitted that?"

_Just present something! Act now! Think later! Like the Boss always says. _

_**Take That!**_

There, on the court's display was the wrench.

"A spanner?" Blackquill prompted, puzzled.

"Yes." Athena nodded. "Recall the blueprints; the accelerator needed very little force, so this spanner, or a wrench as it's known here, could have been placed on it. Additionally, there was a brick on the track."

"A brick?" Blackquill asked. "I thought you'd established that the bomb was on the track, thus forcing the victim to brake."

"So did I, but...Think about it; if the wrench was on the accelerator, making the car move on its own accord, there would be no way to stop it, unless you had something that pressed on the tires. The brick acted as that stopper when the driver exited the car."

"The driver? Why would the victim feel the need to place a brick on the track when he's perfectly capable of parking his own car?" Blackquill argued. "Furthermore, this spanner wasn't found upon the accelerator."

Athena grinned confidently. "To address your second point; when a metal, is in an explosion site, it has a tendency to expand. The force of the explosion would have torn it away from its location, explaining where we found it later."

Blackquill's eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth, about to retort when Athena continued,

"And, you're right, it would be weird for the victim to just abandon his car on the track and use some strange materials to do so. Which means...the driver _wasn't _the victim!"

The gallery burst into conversation, quickly quelled by the Judge's orders for quiet. Blackquill shook his head.

"Admirable though your bluffing skills are, I'm afraid you're far off the mark. I have a witness who can attest to the victim's state prior to his death."

The Judge looked at Blackquill. "Another witness?"

"Yes. Meaning," Blackquill gestured at Tanner. "You may leave now."

"Aww… I wanted to stay here longer with ya, handsome," Tanner blushed, looking down. "But, okay, bye! For now!"

Blackquill breathed a sigh of relief as the courtroom doors swung shut again. Then he jerked his head towards the Judge.

"Oh, um," he glanced at the transcript provided by the bailiff. "Would Mr Pitt Wilde come to the stand?"

_Phew... At least she's gone... If I get called a banana one more time, I'm flipping this bench over..._

* * *

**August 8, 2029 11:45 AM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 1**

* * *

The doors opened to reveal a scrawny man with a massive grin plastered on his face and a tire in his hand, in a red overalls with neatly combed blonde hair, making him look somewhat more presentable.

_Is this guy obsessed with tires? Wait…Don't ask that. You'll probably get more 'racy jokes.'_

Blackquill looked harshly at Wilde, causing him to shrink slightly in fear. To anyone else, it was just Blackquill being Blackquill, so they didn't mind. "Witness. Give the court your name and occupation."

"My name is Pitt Wilde and I'm a part of Mr. Runner's pit crew. Or maybe I should say _was_ as he drove himself to death!"

He laughed voraciously at his own joke.

_Not this again…_

Athena leaned forward and began to sweat over the bench. Suddenly, a slash came at Wilde's tire, cutting it in half. Blackquill glared at Wilde. "Witness, I will not have you making inane and tasteless quips at the recently departed, never mind otherwise whilst you remain on this stand. Do I make myself clear?"

Wilde nodded vigorously and with that, the Judge cleared his throat. "Mr. Wilde, could you please testify to the court about what you saw?"

Wilde was still recovering from Blackquill's attack; he quickly braced himself, took a deep breath, and then...pulled out some tape seemingly out of nowhere, fixing his original tire.

_Where in the hell is this guy getting that stuff?_

"I will testify, Your Honor. I want to testify about hearing Mr. Amenda and Mr. Runner's argument. They didn't know I was there, so I just heard what they said."

The Judge nodded. "Very well, Mr. Wilde."

* * *

Witness Testimony

-The Argument-

1) So I was walking into the pits around 7 PM to do some work.

2) When I walked in, I heard them arguing, Mr. Amenda and Mr. Runner I mean.

3) I stayed to listen to it, but I felt uncomfortable.

4) I usually try to break up arguments like that.

5) After some more shouting, I saw Mr. Runner leave to go somewhere.

* * *

"Um… That's it, Your Honor," said Wilde, throwing a slightly nervous glance at Blackquill. Blackquill said nothing, his back turned towards the defense.

"The defense would like to cross-examine the witness," said Athena, suspicious at Blackquill's sudden silence.

The Judge nodded. "Very well, the request is gra—"

"A moment, Your Baldness."

Everyone remained completely silent as Blackquill turned to consign a glance at Athena.

Blackquill then appealed to her in a low voice, "Cykes-dono, as you very well know, this witness has a problem remaining on topic and will do anything to turn this courtroom into a laughingstock. He will jape about anything he finds amusing. I ask that you keep your questions on topic and succinct. Wasting this court's time might be enough to earn yourself a penalty."

"H-Hey! I don't do tha—"

That earned him another slice on his tire. He quickly brought out the tape and paint, fixing his tire, though it was clearly unusable.

_Okay! Curse this! The heck does he need that tire for? I need to know._

"Wait. First, before the cross-examination, I have one question."

Blackquill looked back at her. "And that is?"

"Witness, why do you have a tire with you in here?"

Wilde is slightly embarrassed. He blushed lightly before replying, "Oh! Erm—I find it comfortable to have near me. I can't imagine leaving home without my lucky tire; I always have it with me, even on workdays. I fix it every time that it breaks. I've fixed it so much I don't even know if it's the same that I got when I was a kid."

_"You got that tire when you were a _kid_?!"_ Widget exclaimed.

_What kind of parent buys their kid a tire?_

"Yep. I've been taking care of it ever since."

Athena just slumped forward and sweated, having regretted even asking the question. Blackquill was barely suppressing his amused grin.

The Judge shook his head. "Now that _that_ tangent is over with, and we've established the emotional support this...erm...tire provides our witness, can the defense _please_ begin their cross-examination?"

Athena lowered her head. "Yes, Your Honor."

"Please be careful, Athena. Remember that I'm still standing here. I'm only thirty-six. I don't want to lose my hair yet," Phoenix whispered beside her.

"Yes, Boss."

Cross-Examination

-The Argument-

1) So I was walking into the pits around 7 PM to do some work.

_**Hold It!**_

"What kind of work were you doing? Why would you have to be there past the race?"

Playing with his tire, Wilde simply replied, "Well, we have to wrap up after the race and I had to help Mr. Amenda with fixing Mr. Runner's car."

"So you were there to help him fix the cars?"

Wilde grinned. "Yep, some someone needs to amend them! See wha—"

Blackquill once again slashed with his finger, ending the train before it started running. "No. None. Of that."

"So what happened after you arrived?"

"Well, I was pretty shocked by…"

2) When I walked in, I heard them arguing, Mr. Amenda and Mr. Runner I mean.

_**Hold It!**_

Athena slammed her hands onto the defense's bench. "Wait a minute. That statement's too vague."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you didn't tell us what you were arguing about."

Wilde dropped his tire before replying, "Oh! I knew what they were arguing about. They were arguing about Mr. Runner losing the race that day. I wouldn't forget that!"

Athena glared at him. "Then why didn't you tell that to us in the first place?"

Wilde looked at her slightly nervously. "Well, you never asked in the first place."

_I heard some discord in that statement just now._

Athena's right hand met the defense's bench with an extreme amount of force. "You're lying to me!"

She jabbed her finger in his direction.

"There's another reason that you're hiding it!"

Wilde's hand slipped on his tire again. His mouth was wide open. "I-I plead the fifth. I refuse to testify about that."

Blackquill looked suspiciously at Wilde. It was clear that he hadn't expected this either. His hand was on his blade, but it remained on its sheath.

Athena sighed, her face in her palm. "Then can you at least add the topic of the argument to your testimony?"

Wilde looked down, slightly upset. "Alright."

3) They were arguing about Mr. Runner losing the race earlier that day; Mr. Amenda told him it was that he called himself a professional racer. So, yeah, Mr Runner got really mad.

_I want to examine this statement, but first let's deal with the sixth one._

6) After some more shouting, I saw Mr. Runner leave to go somewhere.

_**Hold It!**_

Athena gave Wilde a determined look. "Do you know where he went? Can you tell us?"

Wilde put his tire on the ground and rolled it between his hands, thinking. "Er—I don't know where he went. He looked pretty mad at Mr. Amenda. I think he might have gone to see Mr. Bosse."

Blackquill frowned. "Pray tell, who is this Bosse man?"

Athena presented Bosse's profile picture. "Mr Richard Bosse is Team 42's biggest sponsor."

"I see."

Satisfied, Athena turned her attention back to Wilde. "You said the defendant went to see Mr. Bosse around seven-thirty, correct?"

Wilde nodded his head and replied simply, "Yes."

"Very well, can you repeat your third statement?"

"Yeah, sure."

3) They were arguing about Mr. Runner losing the race earlier that day; Mr. Amenda told him it was that he called himself a professional racer. So, yeah, Mr Runner got really mad.

_There's no discord in that statement, but it still contradicts the evidence. _

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena grinned, and crossed her arms confidently. "Mr Wilde."

"Yes?"

"Did you by any chance overhear them arguing over a letter? Or maybe about someone resigning?"

Wilde shook his head, stroking his tire. "No. I don't think so."

"If the defense would be so kind as to get to the point…" Blackquill grumbled.

Athena presented the letter. "Prosecutor Blackquill, earlier you brought up this typed letter, emphasis on _typed_, as proof of my client's motive."

"Yes. What of it?"

"But the thing is, Mr Wilde here says they weren't arguing about this letter!"

"Perhaps this witness merely neglected to listen in on that part of their argument. What he has already uttered supports the evidence at hand."

Athena shook her head. "We have no proof that the victim even wrote this letter; it's typed, and there's no signature or anything that prove its authenticity. Meaning, it was planted!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Perhaps our racing wonder wasn't in the habit of signing off his letters," Blackquill countered. Then he tapped at his temple. "You've drawn your blade far too soon, Cykes-dono."

"What do you mean?"

"Our witness isn't finished with his account."

Wilde grinned. "Oh, you want me to testify about _that_?"

"Yes. Provide us your eyewitness account of our little tinker placing the explosive in the vehicle!"

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

_**Attorney's Badge**_**: This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Autopsy Report:**_** 08/07, 7:45-9 PM; Cause of Death: Explosion and shrapnel from a bomb.**

_**Photo of Head Injury:**_** A picture that I took of my client's face. There's a bruise on his forehead.**

_**Oil Stains:**_** I found this in the pits. These are oil stains that come from the car when its oil got changed. There must have been some maintenance work.**

_**Blood Stain:**_** A very tiny bloodstain that was near the oil stains. I don't know who it belongs to, but it looks pretty suspicious.**

_**Zipper:**_** A red colored zipper found in the maintenance area. I know it doesn't belong to my client.**

_**Screwdriver:**_** A screwdriver I found in the trash in the pits.**

_**Piece of Plastic:**_** A piece of plastic I found at the wreckage. The police don't seem to have noticed it under the ash. It contains a few letters and numbers—'A5S4'—before being cut off.**

_**Broken Wrench:**_** A broken wrench the Boss found at the bombed car. It's mostly burnt and bent, but it looks like one of the missing tools Mr Wilde was talking about.**

_**Skid Marks:**_** Skid Marks that were found near the scene of the explosion. They're drawn out for a bit.**

_**Brick:**_** A brick that was found near the wreck of the car. It has a string attached to it.**

_**Video Surveillance Record:**_** A video record of who went in and out of the stadium. It seems that the victim returned to the scene of the crime around the time of the bombing.**

_**Dent in Wall:**_** Strange dent in wall found in Mr Bosse's home. I don't know what it could mean at this point.**

_**Newspaper Clipping:**_** A newspaper clipping which shows that Mr Runner lost all his races so far this season. It was a clipping from about two weeks ago. Given to me by Mr Bosse.**

_**Toolbox:**_** A toolbox found in Mr Bosse's home. I don't know why, but it seems important to me.**

_**Collection of Checks:**_** A collection of checks showing that the victim was paid millions by Mr Bosse. They probably bounced because of his situation.**

_**Piece of Receipt:**_** A torn piece of a receipt found in Mr Bosse's trash can that has the code 2D6G. Before the first digit, there's what looks like three small horizontal lines.**

_**Typed Letter:**_** A typed letter that I found that Simon presented in the courtroom. It gives what seems to be a proper motive.**

_**Piece of the Bomb:**_** A piece of the bomb with the code F4W and then what looks like an E, but it's been partly cut off. It looks familiar.**

_**Car Blueprints:**_** The car was a Ford Fusion model with the accelerator modified to require very little effort to hold down. Handed to me by Simon.**

**Profiles:**

_**Phoenix Wright**__**(age 36):**_** An excellent defence attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model.**

_**Ema Skye (age 28):**_** The detective/forensics investigator assigned to this case. She's pretty friendly with me and Apollo, but science is her one true love.**

_**Simon Blackquill (age 30):**_** He's an old friend of mine who's the prosecutor for this case. Formerly known as the 'Twisted Samurai,' he was in prison until about two years ago. He's also a psychologist.**

_**Röd Runner (age 25):**_** Rodrick Runner, the victim in this case. He was killed by a bomb in his racecar.**

_**Carlos Amenda (age 28):**_** My client, who is accused of murder. He was the team mechanic and was fixing the car on the night of the crime.**

_**Pitt Wilde (age 26):**_** He's a witness for this case. He works for the race team as a pit crew member. He changes the tires during a pit stop. He loves making stupid jokes.**

_**Lizzy Tanner (age 44):**_** A lady who works for the pit crew. She seems to have a "crush" on Mr Wright, and now on Simon...**

_**Richard Bosse (age 55):**_** The sponsor of the racing team the victim raced for. He is actually broke and paying people using loans.**

_**Wendy Oldbag (age ?):**_** Some old lady who seems to know Mr Wright. He doesn't seem too fond of her.**


	8. Turnabout to the Races! - Part 5

**Trial - Day 1 - Part 3**

* * *

**August 8, 2029 12:10 PM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 1**

* * *

Witness Testimony

-When Mr Runner Came Back-

1) It was almost an hour later when Mr Runner walked inside and he was still angry.

2) I knew he'd come back, but he was carrying something; a piece of paper.

3) Mr Amenda was making some final changes under the car then.

4) That had to have been when he installed the bomb.

5) Then, Mr Runner called him out from under it.

6) There was a heated argument between the two. Mr Runner slammed the piece of paper onto Mr Amenda's desk before he took the car away.

7) Then, yeah, it exploded on the racetrack.

* * *

_None of that statement directly contradicts any evidence, but there was discord there and I could hear it._

The Judge nodded and looked at Athena. "Ms Cykes, you may cross-examine the witness."

Athena nodded. "Of course, Your Honor, but first I want to ask one thing."

"Yes, Ms Cykes?"

"Can I give the witness a quick therapy session?"

Wilde looked at her angrily. "Are you saying that I have a screw loose?"

Then he laughed uncontrollably.

_"She is!"_ commented Widget.

"Widget, just _shut up,_" demanded an exasperated Athena.

Athena pushed a button on Widget, turning it from Court Record mode to analysis mode. She pushed a few more buttons and got onto the testimony.

* * *

Cross-Examination

Psycho-Analysis

-When Mr Runner Came Back-

1) It was almost an hour later when Mr Runner walked inside and he was still angry.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, **Surprise**

2) I knew he'd come back, but he was carrying something; a piece of paper.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, **Surprise**

3) Mr Amenda was making some final changes under the car then.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, Surprise

4) That had to have been when he installed the bomb.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, Surprise

5) Then, Mr Runner called him out from under it.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, **Surprise**

6) There was a heated argument between the two. Mr Runner slammed the piece of paper onto Mr Amenda's desk before he took the car away.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, **Surprise**

7) Then, yeah, it exploded on the racetrack.

Happiness, **Distress**, Anger, **Surprise**

* * *

_**Noise Level:  
100%**_

_There is one emotion there that isn't right._

1) It was almost an hour later when Mr Runner walked inside and he was still angry.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, **Surprise**

_**Got It!**_

"Mr Wilde, there was something strange about your first statement," said Athena, looking up at him.

Wilde looked confused. "Strange?"

"Yes, you were _surprised_ when the victim came to meet the defendant, but you said you knew he would come back."

"S-s-surprised?" asked Wilde, stuttering.

"Yeah. Why would you be surprised by someone you knew was coming?"

"I-I don't know. Erm—I could just have not expected him at that ti—"

Athena slammed both hands onto her desk, interrupting Wilde before she pointed at him. "Mr Wilde! There _was_ another reason that you were shocked by the person entering the room."

"And what is that, Cykes-dono?"

"The person he saw _wasn't _the victim!"

She knew it was a reach, but it was the only argument that made sense at that point.

Athena leaned forward before continuing, "Why would you be surprised by a person you knew was coming back? The only reason I can think of that you would be surprised by is if you saw someone that _wasn't_ the victim!"

"Urp!"

Wilde dropped his tire. "P-Proof. Show me proof that I saw someone else!"

**_Noise Level:  
_****_0%  
Bye-Bye!_**

"Fine! I'll give you your proof!"

_Even though you don't need any._

Athena closed her eyes, thinking.

"Think carefully, Athena. There is one piece of evidence there that proves someone else was at the scene of the crime. You have to find and use it," said Phoenix sagely.

_What proof could I give that someone else was there? Think, Athena, think! There has to be something. _

_ What about the zipper? That proves someone other than Mr Amenda was there, but it looks like it belonged to the victim!_

_Wait, why _is_ it even there? Did the bomber try to take off his clothes? I don't think even an insane person would try that in the pits. Still, that leaves the question of why it was broken off._

_Mr Amenda says that he was knocked out as soon as he was out from under the car, and if I believe him, which I do, then that means that there couldn't have been a struggle. _

_That means the zipper had to have been taken off _after _Mr Amenda was knocked out._

_Wait, then it _was_ taken off there. Why would anyone do that, unless… they were changing into something else._

_That makes sense! This is it! Proof!_

The Judge looked concernedly at Athena. "Ms Cykes?"

Athena opened her eyes and looked up at Blackquill. She smirked. He, in turn, narrowed his eyes, curious at what she was about to say.

_**Take That!**_

"A zipper?" Blackquill and the Judge both exclaimed in tune.

Athena nodded.

"This zipper proves that there was someone else there. How, you ask? Because of its very_ presence._ If the victim was the one going in there, then why would he try to take off his clothes?"

Blackquill tapped his temple. "Perhaps that piece came off an ensuing physical altercation between the defendant and victim."

_**OBJECTION!**_

I have proof that the victim couldn't have fought the defendant," said Athena. She pointed to the evidence display, where she showed the picture she had taken of Amenda.

"As Mr Wilde said, Mr Amenda was under his car when he was called out from under it. As soon as he got out, he was hit on the head with an object, leaving this mark on his head. This injury knocked him out and left him with a bruise. That shows that Mr Amenda _couldn't_ have fought against the person in that booth."

Blackquill conceded this point. "Hmph. You still have not explained how that zipper proves anything."

"It proves that the defendant _wasn't_ the one who was there. Answer this question, Prosecutor Blackquill: if it was the victim who lost this zipper, then why did he lose it? Did he try to take off his clothes in the pits? Is he really that unabashed? Now, if it was someone else wearing his clothes _over_ their regular clothes, then it would make sense."

"Pure conjecture once more!" shouted Blackquill, peeved. He slammed his hands onto the bench before adding, "If you're so intent on stating that the victim was already dead, then show us proof he was! Show us that this roadrunner was dead! After all, 'evidence is everything in court'!"

_There _is_ something that would prove that he was dead at the time._

Athena smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Take a look at this, Your Honor."

The display showed a picture of the small stain of blood found in the pits.

"Couldn't that just be the defendant's blood?" asked the Judge, looking confusedly at Athena.

Athena shook her head. "When I investigated the pits yesterday, this caught my eye as it was just _there._ Why would the defendant bleed after being hit? The injury he sustained didn't break skin."

Blackquill closed his eyes, taking in Athena's statement.

"This blood is out of place where it is. It doesn't add up, as according to the investigations, no one was injured in any way involving the loss of blood. This only makes sense if someone who was already injured was brought into the crime scene. They were placed there and then moved elsewhere."

"Then how do you suggest that this involuntary _cadaver_ was transported?" asked Blackquill.

"Take a look back at the surveillance footage. In it, you see the 'victim' taking something in a large bag. My theory is that one of the objects in that bag…_was the body of the victim!_"

Blackquill reeled back at this.

"That's the only thing which makes sense. He's carrying both the bomb and the body in that bag, I'm sure of it!"

Blackquill slashed at Phoenix's hair, cutting off a strand. "If you're so sure, then explain to us, who exactly is this _real murderer_ you're naming?"

"I-I-" stuttered Athena. Truth be told, she didn't think she'd make it this far.

_Wait! Yesterday, Mr Wilde said that Mr Bosse came to see Mr Amenda prior to the murder. That makes him into a suspect as well! Let's name him!_

Athena slammed her fist onto the bench as hard as she could. "The defense moves to indict Richard Bosse for the murder of Rodrick Runner!"

The gallery burst into conversation. Even the Judge banging his gavel had no effect upon them.

"Ms Cykes, that is a tough claim to believe, but for your case, it is all you have. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Phoenix gave her a cautious look, his eyes alert. "Athena, think carefully. Do you want to keep going on this route? Do you think that he did it?"

Athena closed her eyes in deliberation. Then she struck a confident pose. "I'm sure, Your Honor."

The Judge nodded. "Understood. Prosecutor Blackquill, do you have any objections to this?"

Blackquill, who had, up to this point, remained silent with his back turned to the courtroom, turned to face the Judge. "I have no objections, Your Baldness. Perhaps there is some benefit to bringing this witness into court."

_What're you up to, Simon?_

Athena was perplexed at the prosecutor's sudden change of heart.

The Judge nodded once again. He cleared his throat. "The court will go into a twenty-minute recess for this witness to be brought in."

He slammed his gavel, ending the court proceedings for the time being. Athena finally breathed a sigh of relief, having made it this far.

* * *

**August 8, 2029 1:04 PM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby No. 1**

* * *

"_¡Eso fue increíble! _You were so close, _Señorita_ Cykes!" raved Amenda, his eyes glowing. He ran a hand through his greasy hair.

Athena blushed, running her hands through her hair. "It was nothing, _mi amigo!_"

"He's not wrong, Athena. What you did there was good," said Phoenix, smiling proudly. He then went to the water fountain in the corner, filled a complimentary plastic cup, and took a sip. "Though I would advise that you be a _little _bit more cautious," he added with a small frown.

Amenda suddenly looked confused. "Hey, _Señorita_ Cykes?"

Athena turned to look at Amenda, a smile still on her enthusiastic face. "Yes?"

"Do you really think that _Señor _Bosse would have killed _Señor _Runner?" he asked, looking up at the ceiling, a hand on his cheek.

"Well, I don't fully know yet," admitted Athena. "I _was_ kind of bluffing near the end there."

"And if he did, he tried to frame _me_! _Nunca le hice nada!_" shouted Amenda, disbelievingly.

"What?" asked Phoenix, perplexed.

Athena leaned over to Phoenix's ear. "He meant that he never did anything to him."

"I looked up to _Señor _Bosse! Did you know that he once used to be a mechanic when he was _joven_?"

Quickly whispering into Phoenix's ear that joven meant young, Athena replied, "Yeah, we did."

"I don't know what to think now," said Amenda looking down. A small number of tears formed at the base of his eyes, but they did not fall. He blinked rapidly, keeping them within his eyes. Suddenly, he glared at her, his eyes filled with determination as he walked forward.

Amenda grabbed Athena by the shoulders, shaking her slightly, before shouting, "Promise me, _Señorita_ Cykes, that you won't let him go! He tried to frame _me_ of all people!"

After he had calmed down enough, Athena said, "I assure you I won't let him go. I will find out what happened, Mr Amenda. Just believe in me!"

"...Do you promise?"

"_Por supuesto!_" said Athena, punching a fist into her palm .

"Right back at you, Ms Cykes!"

The bailiff cleared his throat. "The recess is about to end. Will the defendant and defense make their way to the courtroom?"

* * *

**August 8, 2029 1:25 PM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 1**

* * *

The doors opened to reveal a tall, muscular man wearing a ten-gallon hat. He strolled up to the witness's stand, with a confident, upbeat expression on his face.

Blackquill looked completely calm. "Witness, your name and occupation, please."

"Richard Bosse. Proud former sponsor of Racing Team Forty-Two. I own a mechanic's shop chain in the city as well," said Bosse, directing a glance at Blackquill.

He then turned to look at Athena once again.

"Now, what's this I hear about you accusing me of murder?" asked Bosse, without so much as an inch of nervousness in his voice.

"We have evidence pointing to you as the true murderer of Mr Runner," explained Athena, shooting Bosse a glare.

"Oh you do, do you?" said Bosse, still smiling. His smile, however, seemed unmoving, inhuman.

Athena took a deep breath. "Yes, we do. There are many questions still left unanswered, however, and you have to answer them."

"Oh? And those questions are?" asked Bosse.

"Where were you on the night of the crime? What were you doing and why?" Athena informed him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, I'd be happy to testify about that. Help clear up any misconceptions," he said confidently.

* * *

Witness Testimony

-I was There-

1) I was there in the pits at the time, around 8:15 PM.

2) I know ways through the place without triggering the security cameras.

3) Anyways, I saw what happened in the place from outside.

4) Carlos there was working on the car, probably putting on the bomb, when, suddenly, Rod burst in.

5) He started going on about how the loss today was all Carlos's fault.

6) Eventually, Rod got upset at his stubbornness and knocked the poor boy out!

7) But karma is a deadly foe, because it came back to bite him, it did. Ha!

* * *

_Once again, no surface contradictions. I don't hear any discord in his heart, either. Either he's telling the truth, which he's not, or he's practiced telling it so much that it's become ingrained, twisted to fit his own narrative..._

Cross-Examination

-I was There-

1) I was there in the pits at the time, around 8:15 PM.

_**Hold It!**_

"I have a question to ask you. Why exactly _were_ you there in the first place?" questioned Athena, playing with her earring.

"Well, I wanted to see my team's mechanic to talk to him about changes to the car," answered Bosse, sounding as though he was bored out of his skull.

"So you were just there to talk to Mr Amenda?" asked Athena.

"Yes, I was."

_His answers are so damn succinct. I have to be careful when examining them._

"So you got in there without being seen by the security cameras. How?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked…" replied Bosse, smiling.

2) I know ways through the place without triggering the security cameras.

_**Hold It!**_

"You know ways around the security cameras?" asked Athena. "If so, then why did you use them that night? It sounds extremely suspicious."

"Hey, what's wrong with a man trying to keep his private life private?"

"Nothing, but you choosing to use that path on the night of the murder seems strange, don't you think?"

_**Silence!**_

"I don't seem to find anything wrong with the witness using a back way," said Blackquill lazily.

_I shouldn't keep arguing in this right now. But it is strange that he decided not to use the front way._

4) Carlos here was working on the car, probably putting on the bomb, when, suddenly, Rod burst in.

_**Hold It!**_

"He was working on the car? Where are you saying he was working?" asked Athena.

"Well, I'm sure he was working on the engine."

"You're sure of this, right?" asked Athena.

"Yes, he closed the lid before he turned around to face Rod," he answered robotically.

_That isn't right and I've got proof of it!_

"Please add that to your testimony," requested Athena.

"Sure thing, Ms Cykes," said Bosse, not even understanding the implications of what he said.

5) He was working on the engine of the car at the time.

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Got you," said Athena simply.

Bosse was confused. He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Take a look at this," said Athena, gesturing to the display. It showed the oil stains on the floor that she had found on the previous day. "Mr Wilde claimed that my client was working under the car prior to his argument, and these stains support that, meaning Mr Bosse's statement is false!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

Blackquill shook his head.

"What?"

"Take a look at this car jack; it in the lowered position, therefore allowing our little tinker to work on the engine as opposed to below the vehicle."

_He hasn't forgotten the simplest explanation has he?_

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena folded her arms. "It's simple. It was just lowered by person who knocked out Mr Amenda, that's all."

The Judge nodded. "That does explain it, Prosecutor Blackquill."

"Hmph!"

"So," said Athena, turning her attention to the witness stand again, "how do you explain that, Mr Bosse?"

Bosse had taken off his hat and begun squeezing it. "I—why I never—Erm."

"The court is waiting for an explanation, Mr Bosse," said the Judge.

_Heh, I think I've go—_

"Wait! I've got it now! I'll tell you what _really_ happened in there."

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

_**Attorney's Badge**_**: This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Autopsy Report:**_** 08/07, 7:45-9 PM; Cause of Death: Explosion and shrapnel from a bomb.**

_**Photo of Head Injury:**_** A picture that I took of my client's face. There's a bruise on his forehead.**

_**Oil Stains:**_** I found this in the pits. These are oil stains that come from the car when its oil got changed. There must have been some maintenance work.**

_**Blood Stain:**_** A very tiny bloodstain that was near the oil stains. I don't know who it belongs to, but it looks pretty suspicious.**

_**Zipper:**_** A red colored zipper found in the maintenance area. I know it doesn't belong to my client.**

_**Screwdriver:**_** A screwdriver I found in the trash in the pits.**

_**Piece of Plastic:**_** A piece of plastic I found at the wreckage. The police don't seem to have noticed it under the ash. It contains a few letters and numbers—'A5S4'—before being cut off.**

_**Broken Wrench:**_** A broken wrench the Boss found at the bombed car. It's mostly burnt and bent, but it looks like one of the missing tools Mr Wilde was talking about.**

_**Skid Marks:**_** Skid Marks that were found near the scene of the explosion. They're drawn out for a bit.**

_**Brick:**_** A brick that was found near the wreck of the car. It has a string attached to it.**

_**Video Surveillance Record:**_** A video record of who went in and out of the stadium. It seems that the victim returned to the scene of the crime around the time of the bombing.**

_**Dent in Wall:**_** Strange dent in wall found in Mr Bosse's home. I don't know what it could mean at this point.**

_**Newspaper Clipping:**_** A newspaper clipping which shows that Mr Runner lost all his races so far this season. It was a clipping from about two weeks ago. Given to me by Mr Bosse.**

_**Toolbox:**_** A toolbox found in Mr Bosse's home. I don't know why, but it seems important to me.**

_**Collection of Checks:**_** A collection of checks showing that the victim was paid millions by Mr Bosse. They probably bounced because of his situation.**

_**Piece of Receipt:**_** A torn piece of a receipt found in Mr Bosse's trash can that has the code 2D6G. Before the first digit, there's what looks like three small horizontal lines.**

_**Typed Letter:**_** A typed letter that I found that Simon presented in the courtroom. It gives what seems to be a proper motive.**

_**Piece of the Bomb:**_** A piece of the bomb with the code F4W and then what looks like an E, but it's been partly cut off. It looks familiar.**

_**Car Blueprints:**_** The car was a Ford Fusion model with the accelerator modified to require very little effort to hold down. Handed to me by Simon.**

**Profiles:**

_**Phoenix Wright**__**(age 36):**_** An excellent defence attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model.**

_**Ema Skye (age 28):**_** The detective/forensics investigator assigned to this case. She's pretty friendly with me and Apollo, but science is her one true love.**

_**Simon Blackquill (age 30):**_** He's an old friend of mine who's the prosecutor for this case. Formerly known as the 'Twisted Samurai,' he was in prison until about two years ago. He's also a psychologist.**

_**Röd Runner (age 25):**_** Rodrick Runner, the victim in this case. He was killed by a bomb in his racecar.**

_**Carlos Amenda (age 28):**_** My client, who is accused of murder. He was the team mechanic and was fixing the car on the night of the crime.**

_**Pitt Wilde (age 26):**_** He's a witness for this case. He works for the race team as a pit crew member. He changes the tires during a pit stop. He loves making stupid jokes.**

_**Lizzy Tanner (age 44):**_** A lady who works for the pit crew. She seems to have a "crush" on Mr Wright, and now on Simon...**

_**Richard Bosse (age 55):**_** The sponsor of the racing team the victim raced for. He is actually broke and paying people using loans.**

_**Wendy Oldbag (age ?):**_** Some old lady who seems to know Mr Wright. He doesn't seem too fond of her.**


	9. Turnabout to the Races! - Part 6 - End

**A/N: WOOO! 1,000 views! Thank you all _so_ much!**

* * *

**Trial - Day 1 - Part 4**

* * *

**August 8, 2029 1:25 PM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 1**

* * *

"Wait! I've got it now! I'll tell you what _really_ happened in those pits."

Bosse gave a winning smile, which seemed to her to be more like a leer. He put his hat — which had become wrinkled in his hands — back on his head, and after adjusting it so that it was straight, he looked back up at the court before him, puffing out his front.

"…_No comment…"_

Athena didn't even reply to her sarcastic little friend. She was pretty tired mentally after everything that had happened over the course of the trial, however, as a lawyer, she understood that she had to keep moving forward. She stood up straight, hoping to finally hit the nail on the head.

The Judge cleared his throat. "Will the witness _truthfully_ testify to the court?"

Bosse took off his hat, giving a small bow to the Judge. "Of course."

* * *

Witness Testimony

-What Happened in the Pits-

1) Well, when I went into the pits, I saw the two of them begin to argue. I was outside the whole time.

2) Then, Rod took that wrench off of the table and hit Carlos in the face when he came out from under the car.

3) After that, I saw Carlos get up with a screwdriver in his hand and stabbed Rod on the top-left side of his head, killing him!

4) Then, I guess to cover up his crime, he put the bomb into the car to blow it up.

5) Then, he stuffed the body into the car and threw the wrench in there.

6) Then, I saw that other boy. What was his name? Wilde! Yes, him. He helped him.

7) It was him who drove the car for Carlos in the raceway.

* * *

_ Trying to implicate someone else for your own crimes, I see, Mr Bosse. I'd best disprove his claims._

"Defense, you ma—" stated the Judge, before being interrupted by Athena slamming her hands onto the bench.

"Yes, your Honor," said Athena quickly.

_Let's wrap this up. This guy is about toast. I am _not_ about to lose right now._

The Judge smiled knowingly. "_Someone's_ a little excited, aren't they?"

Blackquill quietly mouthed, "To get their client declared guilty, of course."

This was an empty statement, for he knew that it was practically impossible for Richard Bosse to claw his way out of the hole he'd dug himself into. And if he tried to change his words at a drop of that ridiculously large hat, Blackquill would cut it off his head.

Athena scratched at the back of her neck. "Heh. This trial's gone on pretty long. I think that everyone's pretty tired now."

The Judge slammed his gavel. "Now, you may begin your cross-examination."

Athena nodded. "Yes, Your Honor."

Cross-Examination

-What Happened in those Pits-

1) Well, when I went into the pits, I saw the two of them begin to argue. I was outside the whole time.

2) Then, Rod took that wrench off of the table and hit Carlos in the face when he came out from under the car.

_**Hold It!**_

"So it was Mr Runner who attacked first?" asked Athena.

"Yes, Ms Cykes," said Bosse, tipping his hat to her.

"So, according to you, this murder _wasn't_ based on prior motive, but instead self-defense," stated Athena, her hands on her hips. "The bomb was only meant to obscure the crime scene."

"Yes. Seeing as Carlos was the one was attacked first, I think that he had a right to fight back."

"Does the defense wish to change their plea to justified self-defense?" asked the Judge, looking questioningly at Athena with an eyebrow raised.

_Do I? If I change the plea to self-defense, it's still a form of murder. An attorney believes in their client to the end, exactly like a client believes in their attorney._

_I can't let Mr Amenda be charged with murder, no matter the circumstance. I told him I believed in him and what type of human lies about things like this?_

Athena looked obstinately at the Judge. "The defense refuses to change their plea. We maintain that the defendant had nothing to do with the crime, other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Stubbornness. An infuriating trait which you seem to relish wearing upon your sleeve, Cykes-dono," Blackquill chuckled, his back turned to her. This was completely true. However, Blackquill was secretly grateful for this trait of Athena's. It had saved his life.

Even after nearly seven years in Europe, Athena had refused to forget him, despite his insistence to do so. Even during her only visit to California before 2027 to see him, she always insisted that she would save him, never once giving up on him, despite his protests and harsh words.

Even on the day of his retrial two years past, when confronted with the harsh truth of that horrific October day, Athena doggedly stood her ground and persevered with Phoenix in order to find the truth.

In doing so, they had all found out the truth behind the blasted, long-obscured UR-1 Incident.

It was all the work of that masked bastard by the name of 'the Phantom'. This man, who supposedly felt no emotion, had killed an innocent woman in order to safeguard his identity. Blackquill had a sense of sick satisfaction, watching that man break down and finally feel the one emotion left to him: Fear.

Watching him squirm on the stand, unable to control this final emotion left to him gave Blackquill—arguably—the greatest 'breath of fresh air' in his life, second perhaps to being freed from the clink.

What he wouldn't have given to have had him executed in that very courtroom. Struck down right then and there, in front of the very gallery that had accused _him_ of the accursed crime in the first place.

He shook his head slightly and cleared himself of the bitter, unjust memories. He was supposed to be improving now, better able to control the rage — the venom — which had so infected him during the years lost.

He turned back around to face the courtroom that he was currently standing in and took in a deep breath to calm himself, for his trials and tribulations were now over.

Athena glanced curiously at Blackquill before looking back at Bosse. "Witness, please continue."

3) After that, I saw Carlos get up with a screwdriver in his hand and stabbed Rod on the top-left side of his head, killing him!

_**Hold It!**_

"You saw Mr Amenda get up with a screwdriver?" asked Athena. She slammed her hands onto the desk. "But that's impossible. The hit must have knocked him out."

"You see, Rod didn't put all his strength into that hit. I think he wanted to fight him," answered Bosse nonchalantly. He took off his hat and began to spin it on his finger.

_I can hear your heart, you know. There's really no way to hide anything from me._

Blackquill doubled down on it. "You overestimate the victim's strength. If he'd intended to knock out the grease monkey, then he'd have put more force behind it."

"B-But!"

"No 'buts', Ms Cykes. Do you have evidence that the defendant didn't get up off the ground after being hit?" asked the Judge, giving her a stern gaze.

Athena grimaced.

"Do you, Athena?" asked Phoenix. "If you don't it would be best to tell him the truth."

Athena took a deep breath. "No, I don't, Your Honor."

_I know he's lying. Mr Amenda says that he didn't get up off of the ground!_

"Yeah, but after he stabbed him, he wiped the thing and threw it away," added Bosse, still not giving Athena any attention.

_Wait…_

"Add that to your testimony, Mr Bosse."

"What in tarn—?" began Bosse.

"The part about him wiping it and throwing it away," said Athena. Her eyes had a slightly hopeful gleam to them.

"Fine," he said resignedly, sighing, "if that's what you want."

4) After he stabbed Rod, he wiped his screwdriver and threw it into the trash.

_There might be more information, I can come back to this._

5) Then, I guess to cover up his crime, he put the bomb into the car to blow it up.

_**Hold It!**_

"But how would he be able to do that with a major injury to his head?" asked Athena. "Most people won't even be able to think straight, let alone attach a bomb to a car."

"Don't ask me, little lady. I'm just telling you what I saw," said Bosse, shrugging at the claim. "Be it natural or supernatural, I don't know."

"But how would he put it on without his screwdriver?" asked Athena.

"He used the wrench. That's why he put it in the car, to hide his crime," said Bosse, simply waving off the question.

"But he couldn't have driven the car by himself!" said Athena, slamming her fist onto the bench. It was a desperate move and she knew it.

"Didn't you listen? When I was about to leave, that other boy came in and helped him out. Luckily, he didn't seem to see me," answered Bosse, refusing to look Athena in the eye.

"Bu—"

_**Silence!**_

"And here I thought you wanted to end this early. Stop pestering our witness, Cykes-dono," said Blackquill in a warning tone, his back turned to her.

Athena's head dropped. Simon had caught onto her. "Er—sorry."

"Anyways, where was I? Oh, yeah…" began Bosse.

7) Then, I saw that other boy. What was his name? Wilde! Yes, him. He helped him.

_**Hold It!**_

"But that conflicts with his testimony!" exclaimed Athena, her voice sharp.

"Wrong move there, Athena. He could simply have been lying," said Phoenix.

"Bah, Cykes-dono. You would really believe that japing fabricator who concealed that much information?" taunted Blackquill, slamming his table in mocking laughter. A nasty smirk formed on his face.

_Maybe I should go another route._

"But why would he help him?" asked Athena.

Bosse shakes his head, an annoyed tone present in his voice as he said, "I don't know. Why should _I_ know what goes through a killer's mind?"

"That's right, Cykes-dono. Maybe he didn't want his co-worker to be accused and changed his mind half-way? Maybe there was a mysterious fifth person who drove the car? Maybe it's just you losing any sense of coherence you have left," gibed Blackquill.

Widget glowed red.

"What exactly are you attempting to achieve by asking this witness for a criminal's mental state? That is _your_ job," elucidated Blackquill.

"He's right, Ms Cykes. What _are_ you getting at?" The judge said, slamming his gavel. "The defense will cease asking questions about criminal's mental states."

"I don't think those types of questions are really that important Athena. Be a bit more careful next time," advised Phoenix, rubbing his chin.

"_This is the reason why none of you have friends!_" exclaimed Widget, glowing red. Before Athena could scold the little robot, though, the Judge fixed Athena with another stony glare.

"What was that Ms Cykes?" asked the Judge dangerously, his voice faking calmness, with his gavel raised, as though daring the little piece of work strung around Athena's neck to repeat its previous jab.

Widget suddenly glowed yellow.

"No-Nothing!" said Athena, waving her hands in the air desperately.

_Note to self: remove Widget's voice box._

Then, she quickly turned her attention back to Bosse. "H-How did you say Mr Wilde helped Mr Amenda again?"

Bosse smirked, clearly thinking that he had won some sort of victory.

_I am _not_ letting this go without a fight, you entitled _jerk_._

"As I was saying…" he began.

8) It was him who drove the car for Carlos in the raceway.

_**Hold It!**_

"But he couldn't have done it. The person Ms Tanner saw leaving the car had a black cap!" exclaimed Athena.

"That's exactly it, Ms Cykes," said Bosse. "Pitt _did_ wear a black cap."

_**OBJECTION!**_

"But the surveillance shows the victim entering the place with the black cap!" exclaimed Athena.

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Cykes-dono, do you have proof that the tire-lover did _not_ wear a similar cap that night?" asked Blackquill, smirking.

_I need proof for _every_ single detail now, don't I?_

"No. I don't," admitted Athena, looking away from Blackquill.

"As I suspected," said Blackquill, shaking his head. "Your Honor, there is something I'd like to bring to the court's attention."

"And that is?" asked the Judge.

"When the prosecution interviewed the witness, we also found the aforementioned cap with him. We promptly asked him to borrow it upon seeing the security footage," stated Blackquill. "It is the prosecution's theory that the witness removed the victim's cap as a memento of the crime. "

**Black Cap added to Court Record**

_He totally pulled that out of hi—_

"Defense, please continue your cross-examination."

Athena was sweating over her bench, mouth slightly open and her eyes half-lidded. "G-gladly…"

She straightened up immediately and nodded. "Witness, please repeat your fourth statement."

4) After he stabbed Rod, he wiped his screwdriver and threw it into the trash.

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Mr Bosse, did you really see the screwdriver being tossed into the bin?" asked Athena, grinning at her witness.

"Of course I did! I don't see any reason for you to get so uppity about it," commented Bosse.

"Oh, I have something to say about it," said Athena, a confident smile still etched onto her features.

Athena snapped her finger, changing the display to a map of the pits, and gestured to it. "Please take a look at the pit booth where the bomb was planted."

There was a 'K' for Killer in front of the car, and a 'V' for Victim standing to the left of that. The car maintenance area was placed to the left side of the entrance, with the trash can being covered by the car. 'W1' for Pitt Wilde was watching from outside. 'W2' for witness 2, referring to Bosse, was placed outside the area as well, able to look in to see the victim and defendant.

"And what discrepancy is there between this visualization of the crime scene and the defendant's memory of it?" asked Blackquill, giving Athena a smirk.

"Can't you see it, Prosecutor Blackquill?" asked Athena, shaking her head.

"See what?" asked Blackquill. "You're going to have to be more specific."

"Yes, Ms Cykes, point out where on this map the contradiction lies."

"Fine."

"This line of logic is great. There is no way…" commented Phoenix, rubbing his chin. He didn't make any further comments. Athena had requested to mostly do this case when she asked to take it.

_I have to do everything myself, after all. That's the way this courtroom works._

_**Take That!**_

Using Widget, she pointed out the location on the map which caught her eye. It was the trash can. "Mr Bosse! You've been lying to this courtroom!"

Bosse's hat was knocked off his head. He bent down to pick it up, crumpling it up in his hands. "Ms Cykes, I beg your pardon!"

"You aren't getting any 'pardons' from me, Mister," replied Athena, with a glare shot in his direction.

"Awww… and here I was hoping to fund your law practice, Missy."

_Fake Texan heartlander! I wouldn't take your money even if I _was_ desperate! Wait…I am desperate…_

Athena let out a long-suffering sigh, sweating over her bench. "We…don't need it, thanks."

Blackquill smirked. "That was quite a long pause between the 'we' and 'don't', wasn't it, Cykes-dono?"

"Sh-shut up, Prosecutor Blackquill," stuttered Athena.

_I actually want to cry right now…_

The Judge tossed a stony look at Athena. "Ms Cykes, you _will_ be more respectful in this courtroom."

_And he's allowed to disrespect me?_

"I know what you're thinking, Athena," said Phoenix, looking at her, "and it's true. He _doesn't_ need to be more respectful to us. It's only because he's a prosecutor and we're defense attorneys. We're just ragdolls in this courtroom."

"I-I know that…" said Athena, cold sweat continuing to fall onto the bench. She clearly remembered the beads of Nahyuta Sahdmadhi...

Then, she stood up straight fixing Blackquill with a stern look. "This witness could _not_ have seen the screwdriver being thrown away from outside."

"And why is that, Cykes-dono?" asked Blackquill, narrowing his eyes.

"Simply. Don't you see it, Prosecutor Blackquill? The car's maintenance area is in front of the trash can. In order to have seen the screwdriver being thrown away, he couldn't have been _outside_," Athena explained.

Then, slamming her fists onto the defense's bench, she pointed towards Bosse. "He had to have been _inside_ the pit booth at the time. If that's true, then it adds another person who could have put the bomb onto the car."

_**OBJECTION!**_

"That's utter nonsense! If the witness was _inside_ the Booth, then why wasn't he seen by the previous witness?" demanded Blackquill, eyes flashing dangerously.

"Ah, Prosecutor Blackquill!" teased Athena, crossing her arms over her chest with a smirk. "Just a few moments ago, weren't you the one who said his testimony couldn't be trusted because he was a liar?"

Blackquill simply remained silent.

"However, the defense would like to have the witness testify one more time," said Athena.

"Wh-what? Why?" stammered Bosse, looking unruly.

"Because we believe that the victim wasn't killed in the pits. In fact, the defense believes that the victim wasn't even _alive_ when they came into the raceway," said Athena, smiling with a confident gleam in her eye.

"Ms Cykes, do you have any evidence to support this conclusion?" asked the Judge, looking at her curiously.

_**Take That!**_

"Of course I do! The prosecution handed it to me after all," boasted Athena, smirking in Blackquill's direction.

"What are you going on about now, Cykes-dono?" prodded Blackquill, giving her a blank stare.

She pointed to the display, which showed a picture of the black cap that Blackquill had handed to her earlier. It was in near pristine condition, save for the hole on the top of it.

"Now isn't that a tad bit suspicious? Prosecutor Blackquill, can you inform me if any blood was found on the cap?" asked Athena.

Blackquill remained silent for a few seconds but then spoke with a resigned voice. "…No traces of blood were found on the cap."

Athena slammed her fists onto the bench. "Aha! That means that this hole was purposefully put on the cap in order to fool us."

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Can you prove that? Perhaps the hole was there from before the incident, Cykes-dono. You cannot simply assume that it was placed there on that day," explained Blackquill, smirking at finding a hole in her logic.

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Then explain one thing to me, Prosecutor Blackquill…" began Athena. Pointing at him, she finished, "_Why is there no blood on the cap if it was the cap the victim wore?_"

"Eh?" That was all the prosecutor could manage at the moment.

Athena brought up the record of Bosse's testimony. "According to the testimony provided to us by Mr Bosse, the victim was stabbed on the top-left side of his head. Now, if the victim was wearing that cap, then it should have gone through that cap and blood must have gotten onto that cap, _but_ what we find is that there is no blood, meaning that the victim wasn't wearing this cap if he was killed by the screwdriver. According to the video footage of the victim entering, however, he _was_ wearing the cap when he was coming in."

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Simple explanation, Cykes-dono," said Blackquill, shaking his head, "The victim simply took off his cap before he was stabbed, or it was knocked off during their little spat. That would make more than enough sense."

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Not if there was a hole in it. That hole means that the cap was stabbed through. However, I do agree with one thing you've said here," said Athena, smirking.

"And what is that?" questioned Blackquill.

"It _wasn't_ the victim that wore the cap that night," Athena stated simply, looking down, eyes closed, with a smile.

"Pardon me?" commented Bosse. "If it wasn't Rod, then who was wearing that cap that night?"

"It's quite simple, Mr Bosse," said Athena, smirking. She pointed at Bosse, glaring at him. "_You_ wore the cap that night when you went to the stadium because at that time, the victim was already dead!"

The gallery erupted into a harangue, quietened only by the Judge's repeated gavel slams. He fixed Athena with an unbelieving look. "Ms Cykes—"

"Allow me, Your Baldness," interrupted Blackquill. "That was the most insane, insipid, and utterly preposterous theory that I have ever heard."

_…That…Yeah, I admit it. That did sound pretty dumb without context. But that's still no reason to insult it three times!_

"I have reason to believe this because when Mr Wilde was speaking to the court about the first conversation between the victim and the defendant…" began Athena. Pulling up Wilde's testimony on Widget, she paraphrased, "He said that the victim went to visit Mr Bosse after the first argument. To top it all off, there was no discord in his testimony, therefore I can tell that it was the truth emotionally as well."

Bosse began to crumple up his hat, even more, sweating onto the witness stand.

Athena slammed her hands onto the bench. "The defense requests a testimony of what happened during his meeting with Mr Runner!"

The Judge slammed his gavel. "Witness, please testify as to what exactly happened during this meeting between you and the victim."

Bosse unfurled his hat, beginning to bite down upon it. He shot a glare at Athena, who simply smirked back in reply, her hands on her hips.

"Fine, I'll do it even if it's to prove Ms Cykes here wrong."

* * *

Witness Testimony

-My Meeting with Runner-

1) Rod just came in all of a sudden to talk to me.

2) Turns it wasn't anything important. It was just to talk to his old friend.

3) I've known him for quite some time. I knew him when he was a kid, you know?

4) But I never pegged him to try to kill someone else, even if he was upset at losing the race.

5) Anyways, we talked and then he left. I sensed something was amiss.

6) That's why I followed him into the pits.

* * *

_Something's wrong emotionally here. I should analyze him just to be safe._

"Defense, are you ready to proceed with the cross-examination?" asked the Judge, looking over at Athena. "Need I also remind you that this is the final cross-examination. If you cannot find any contradictions, I will be forced to hand down my verdict here and now."

Athena nodded, a determined look on her face. "We know. I'll find the contradictions here. But can I please analyze his psyche first?"

"Cykes-dono, are his emotions betraying his words?" asked Blackquill, curious as to her reasoning.

Athena simply nodded.

"Very well, please proceed with your psychoanalysis or whatever you youngsters call those flashy gadget thingies," assented the Judge, gesturing for her to continue.

* * *

Cross-Examination

Psycho-Analysis

-My Meeting with Runner-

1) Rod just came in all of a sudden to talk to me.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, **Surprise**

2) Turns it wasn't anything important. It was just to talk to his old friend.

**Happiness**, Distress, Anger, **Surprise**

3) I've known him for quite some time. I knew him when he was a kid, you know?

**Happiness**, Distress, Anger, Surprise

4) But I never pegged him to try to kill someone else, even if he was mad at losing the race.

**Happiness**, Distress, Anger, Surprise

5) Anyways, we had a good conversation and then he left.

Happiness, Distress, **Anger**, Surprise

6) I sensed something was amiss. That's why I followed him into the pits.

Happiness, Distress, Anger, Surprise

* * *

_Just as I thought! He shouldn't have had anger in this if this was a pleasant conversation!_

5) Anyways, we had a good conversation and then he left.

Happiness, Distress, **Anger**, Surprise

_**Got It!**_

"Mr Bosse, you're very clearly a good liar, but the one thing that you can't run away from is your heart!" stated Athena, smirking with her arms crossed over her chest.

"What are you talking about, little girl?" asked Bosse threateningly. His nervousness, however, given away by the fact that he was chewing on his hat.

Athena shot him a glare. "When you said that you had a good conversation, I seemed to detect _anger_ in that statement. Can you explain why exactly you were angry if you had a good conversation?"

"Well, he was also angry, you know? Remember that that boy had a few anger issues, so he got mad at me and I got mad back at him. He tried to blame me for not giving him enough money, can you believe that?"

_Darn! It is true, though…Mr Runner did have anger issues…Aargh. Why is this case so complicated? I know that Mr Amenda is innocent; it's just so hard to prove it!_

"Ms Cykes, has this cross-examination any merit?" asked the Judge, looking sternly at her.

"Y-Yes it does!"

The Judge nodded, furrowing his brow, running a hand through his beard. "In that case, could the defense provide an explanation as to where and when the murder took place, and the defendant did not do it, then what happened?"

Blackquill slammed his hands onto the bench and then pointed at Athena. "And if he _did _commit the murder outside the raceway, **how in the **_bloody hell_** did he get the body into the raceway**?"

"Erm—The defense wo—wo—_Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggghh_!"

Her head was in her hands as she leaned over the bench, looking down. She was utterly stumped. She had no idea what to do right now with the case having gone the way it had. She was confused at every turn.

"Does the defense have no comments?" asked the Judge. After a few seconds of silence, the Judge nodded. "Very we—"

_**OBJECTION!**_

This objection did not come from Athena, nor Blackquill, or the Judge. It came from the Turnabout Terror himself. "Your Honor, the defense requests a few minutes to think."

The Judge was shocked for a moment but then nodded. "An unusual request, but one that the court may be able to grant."

"Athena…calm down first," suggested Phoenix, looking concernedly at her.

Athena nodded, taking a deep breath. Her mind became blank for a moment, throwing away all the debate for a moment.

"Now, return to the basics of the case, as always. You know that Mr Amenda did not kill Mr Runner," said Phoenix calmly. "Add some of the new information you've learned to the evidence that's been given in this trial. That will help you find the conclusion you're looking for."

"Yes, Boss, and thank you. I need to think," said Athena. She closed her eyes.

_…Return to the basics, huh?_

_ …So the murder didn't happen during the bombing as we originally thought. Instead, where did it take place?_

_\- Inside the car_

_\- Inside the Security Room_

_\- On the raceway_

_**\- In Bosse's trailer**_

_If it happened in the trailer, then that means that there needs to be a murder weapon. What exactly could Mr Bosse have used to kill the victim?_

_\- The toolbox_

_\- The hat_

_**\- The wall**_

_That's why there was such a big dent in the wall! But if it did happen in the trailer, then where could he have hidden the body to take it out? If he just brought it in, he would have been seen._

_**\- The bag in the security footage**_

_\- A car_

_\- Magic_

_You can't just bring a car in there and last time I checked, Mr Bosse isn't a Gramarye. So that must be it. Bosse was the one who killed Mr Runner, but what motive could he possibly have had?_

_**\- The checks**_

_\- The newspaper article_

_\- Self-defense_

_\- No motive. He's a serial killer!_

_It couldn't have been just because of the race or the season. That isn't enough to kill someone. There was to be a higher motive than that and those are the checks. But why would he care about money if he can just boast about how much money he has?_

_\- He's a greedy jerk!_

_**\- He doesn't have any money.**_

_**RICHARD BOSSE DOESN'T HAVE ANY MONEY!**_

_Oh my goodness! If…if that's true, then it overturns a major assertion of the case. This is why he killed Mr Runner!_

"Mr Bosse…" said Athena, crossing her arms over her chest with a smug smirk on her face.

"Yes?" said Bosse, having lost his cool, his hat in his mouth.

"…Exactly how much money do you have in your bank account to pay Mr Runner?"

Bosse's eyes widened.

_Jackpot!_

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice quiet as it came out.

"…Mr Bosse, how exactly do you pay Mr Amenda, Mr Runner, and the rest of your team?"

"I use the money I have in my bank account, of course. I pay for everythin—"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Mr Bosse, you're lying now!" said Athena, smirking.

"…Cykes-dono, what are you suggesting?" asked Blackquill, looking curiously at her, an eyebrow raised.

"There's a reason why Mr Bosse would need to take out Mr Runner and it isn't anything too complicated."

"If you're just going to say I killed him because of that race, then you—"

Athena slammed her fists down onto the table. "I'm not saying that. I'm saying that you weren't able to pay him. _That's_ why you killed him. He was a massive drain on your finances. This is proven by the fact that he lost almost every race this season. You smashed his head into the trailer because he was a waste of money, no other reason!"

"Cykes-dono, what exactly happened in the trailer, then?"

Athena smirked, her arms crossed over her chest. She turned to her right side, keeping her gaze on him. " At approximately 7:30, the victim came to Mr Bosse's trailer after his argument with the defendant and he started talking to Bosse about his financial issues. Bosse was most probably paying him and the rest of the team using loans. Bosse, being destitute, knew he couldn't keep affording to pay the victim his huge sums of cash. Thus, when the victim was about to leave, Bosse had already decided to finish it. He was angry at being in poverty and thus, smashed the victim's head into a wall!"

"My Goodness! Such a brutal way to die," exclaimed the Judge, shaking his head.

"Reserve your comments for after the defense's explanation, Your Baldness." Blackquill kept his gaze on Athena. "Continue, Cykes-dono."

Athena gave a thankful look toward Blackquill. "After that, he took off the victim's outfit and put it on himself, adding the cap to hide his hair. He stuffed the victim, the bomb, and brick into the bag shown in the security footage. He also brought along a typed note, indicating that Mr Amenda was fired at that moment. The victim was never planning to fire him. As shown by his toolbox and according to both the defendant and witness himself, Mr Bosse was once a mechanic himself prior to sponsoring the race team."

"He was a _mechanic?_" asked the Judge.

Athena nodded. "Yes, the prosecution can look into this if they want. They'll find it to be true. Mr Bosse made sure to place the brick on the track. Around 8:15 PM, he went to the pit booth for his team took Mr Amenda's wrench, calling him out from under Mr Runner's car. He hit him on the head, knocking him out cold. Then, he installed the bomb onto the car and changed out of his clothes, leaving a zipper. This was spotted by Mr Wilde, who he probably promised a bribe to remain quiet.

Athena glared at Bosse once again. Bosse simply whimpered something in reply. "After that, he took the body out of the bag and put it into the car, which left the blood droplet on the ground. Once that was done, he left and drove the car on the raceway. He stopped near where he placed the brick. Then, he placed the wrench on the accelerator and then pulled the brick away from the tire, causing the car to drive without anybody else. Unfortunately for him, Ms Tanner saw him running, with his cap!

"Afterwards, he remotely detonated the bomb, and gave Mr Wilde the cap. He then left the crime scene through this exit that only he knows of, making it look like the victim was the only one who entered."

_**OBJECTION!**_

"You haven't proven that he even owned the bomb, Cykes-dono!" remarked Blackquill, slamming his hands onto his bench.

Athena gave him a thoughtful look, playing with her earring."I haven't, have I? Well then, I have proof that he knew about the bomb. In fact, I have proof that he bought the bomb."

"Then show us this proof immediately," demanded the Judge.

_**Take That!**_

"Simple. Look at this piece of plastic, this piece of the bomb, and this piece of a receipt. Together, they form a serial code for the bomb that was purchased. In order, this code is:_ A5S4F4WE2D6G._ And to add to this, the piece of receipt was found in the trailer belonging to the witness and that the pieces of plastic were from the bomb and we have decisive evidence._"_

"And how did the witness manage to purchase a bomb?" asked Blackquill.

"He simply got a loan from the bank or perhaps bought it for cheap," said Athena, shrugging. "That could explain it."

"And where's all the proof for this theory of yours?" demanded Blackquill, though he knew his case was over.

"Easy, just take a look into his finances, and you'll find that what I'm saying is true. He isn't rich, only pretending to be. He's lucky the bank hasn't noticed his defrauding until now!" Athena finished off her flurry, jabbing her finger toward Bosse. "_Admit it now, Mr Bosse! You killed Mr Runner and tried to pin it on Mr Amenda!"_

"N-No! I—can—explain—this! NOoOOoOOOooooOOOOoOooOoooOoOOO!" screamed Bosse. He bit deep into his hat, tearing into the cheap material, and pulled it into his mouth before falling to the floor, completely sedated.

The entire courtroom burst into conversation. The judge slammed his gavel until the courtroom finally fell into order.

The Judge looked genially down at Athena. "Well now…I haven't seen a trial of that level of activity in a while now. As usual, you and your mentor both get my congratulations…"

_Not for long it seems…_

"Anyways, I feel as if it is time to finally deliver my verdict. Prosecutor Blackquill, I presume that you have no objections?"

Blackquill's back was turned towards the courtroom once again. "None whatsoever."

"Very well. Defendant, please make your way to the stand!"

Amenda got up off of his seat and walked toward the witness stand. He looked completely relieved, taking fuller and deeper breaths. He walked with a new spring in his step and a grin on his face.

_I did it!_

"On the charge of murder, this court hereby finds the defendant, Carlos Amenda…"

"_**Not Guilty!"**_

The Judge banged his gavel one final time. "Court is adjourned!"

* * *

August 8, 2029 3:15 PM

District Court

Defendant Lobby No. 1

"_Gracias, Señorita_ Cykes…" said Amenda. "I seriously don't know what I'd have done without you!"

"It was no problemo, Mr Amenda!" exclaimed Athena, flashing a peace sign. "I'm just glad that I could help."

"_Si!_ You were incredible in there!" gushed Amenda. "Especially near the end, where you just completely destroyed that prosecutor."

"He's right. You were great in there today, Athena," said Phoenix, smiling.

"Aw shucks!" said Athena, blushing and running her fingers through her hair.

"No, really," said Phoenix, patting her on the back. "You were good. You just need to be more confident when you make a point."

Phoenix rubbed at his chin, considering his next words. "Near the end, when you cornered Mr Bosse, I saw something. A spark, if you will. You're becoming a great attorney, Athena, even if you don't realize it."

"Thanks, Boss," said Athena, feeling even giddier.

"He's not simply bluffing for once," said a gruff voice from behind them.

"S-Simon!" exclaimed Athena, her hands reaching up to her cheeks.

_Even he's in on the 'congratulate Athena' train now?_

"I have come from talking to the alleged murderer," stated Blackquill simply. "But yes, Wright-dono is, rarely as it is, right. You have to be more confident when arguing in court, Athena. You escaped a false conviction today by the skin of your teeth."

_Scratch that…he's just here to call me incompetent._

"However, I am not _just_ here to call you incompetent. It seems as though our sleazy little devil talked," informed Blackquill, changing topics quickly.

"Hmm… what about?" asked Athena, looking at Simon with curiosity, tilting her head.

"About where he got that explosive, of course. He said that you were correct and that he did take a loan out of a bank," replied Blackquill, looking at her seriously, his head turned slightly to the right.

"Okay, but what else?"

"He says that he bought it from the Purple Flames…" said Blackquill.

"Th-the Purple Flames? What's that?" asked Phoenix. Athena also tilted her head to one side.

"Of course you would have been too young to remember. You most probably only remember a portion of that trial. It was my first and only trial prior to that damned Phantom incident," said Blackquill, shaking his head.

Suddenly, Athena remembered from where the nightmares came. She shook her head. "Simon, can we please not talk about that trial now?"

"_Si_, what're you talking about?" asked Amenda, looking in curiously on the conversation.

"Well, it seems that now is not the time to go over it. However, the statement still stands. Richard Bosse bought his explosive from the Purple Flames," said Blackquill. "We do not know yet of what it implies, but the Purple Flames are an arms gang, which the international constabulary, such as Interpol, has been keeping close watch on."

"…Interpol? But how is it relevant to the trial today?" asked Athena.

Blackquill crossed his arms. "Today's affair has unfortunately reopened a few old wounds of mine. I will have to inform Edgeworth-dono of this. It's more than likely he'll call _her_ for it."

"Her?" asked Athena, frowning.

Blackquill nodded. "I am sure he will. It's going to be in their hands now. I no longer want anything to do with this."

"…Simon?" added Athena apprehensively.

"Yes?" asked Blackquill.

"…Thanks for, you know, coming here to congratulate me," she said, looking up at him with a smile.

"Hmph. What else would you expect of me? I'm more of a samurai now than I am twisted. I would be hard-pressed _not_ to congratulate my foe," said Blackquill, but it was clear he was hiding a smile, and Athena could sense the happiness in his words.

"On another note, I'd better get to my other duties now. I have another trial to prosecute. One for a formerly rich bastard who got his comeuppance," said Blackquill.

Athena giggled.

Blackquill contorted his face into a small smile. His cloak flapped as he turned around quickly. "Goodbye, Athena, Wright-dono, Amenda-dono."

"Bye Simon!"

"Bye, Mr Blackquill!"

Amenda said nothing, understandably flustered from the trial, as he still saw Blackquill in a bad light. He managed a small wave, though.

"I-I think I'd better get going, too, _Señorita _Cykes. Now that _Señor _Bosse is gone, I'm going to have to find another job," said Amenda, holding his hand out to Athena.

"I understand," said Athena, in a more business-like tone. She grabbed his hand and shook it.

"Goodbye, _Señorita _Cykes."

She waved at him. "Bye, Mr Amenda."

"Now then, we'd better get going. I owe Maya a full days' worth of burgers for yesterday," said Phoenix, with a sigh. "She said it when I returned last night. She went to her room after that."

"Sure, Boss," said Athena, grinning.

With that, she ran off, feeling better than she had in a long time. She was going to be a good lawyer; she just knew it. Happiness hammered in her heart as she ran to Eldoon's.

She was going to celebrate today her own way. The future looked bright and she knew it would only continue to get brighter if she kept going at it!

* * *

_I was a fool and probably still am. I should never have thought that just that one case would ever make me a better lawyer. In less than four months, I would have to come to terms with an uncomfortable truth. Something which would shake me to my core. It...it didn't need to be uncovered..._

**End of Case 2**

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

_**Attorney's Badge**_**: This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Autopsy Report:**_** 08/07, 7:45-9 PM; Cause of Death: Explosion and shrapnel from a bomb.**

_**Photo of Head Injury:**_** A picture that I took of my client's face. There's a bruise on his forehead.**

_**Oil Stains:**_** I found this in the pits. These are oil stains that come from the car when its oil got changed. There must have been some maintenance work.**

_**Blood Stain:**_** A very tiny bloodstain that was near the oil stains. I don't know who it belongs to, but it looks pretty suspicious.**

_**Zipper:**_** A red colored zipper found in the maintenance area. I know it doesn't belong to my client.**

_**Screwdriver:**_** A screwdriver I found in the trash in the pits.**

_**Piece of Plastic:**_** A piece of plastic I found at the wreckage. The police don't seem to have noticed it under the ash. It contains a few letters and numbers—'A5S4'—before being cut off.**

_**Broken Wrench:**_** A broken wrench the Boss found at the bombed car. It's mostly burnt and bent, but it looks like one of the missing tools Mr Wilde was talking about.**

_**Skid Marks:**_** Skid Marks that were found near the scene of the explosion. They're drawn out for a bit.**

_**Brick:**_** A brick that was found near the wreck of the car. It has a string attached to it.**

_**Video Surveillance Record:**_** A video record of who went in and out of the stadium. It seems that the victim returned to the scene of the crime around the time of the bombing.**

_**Dent in Wall:**_** Strange dent in wall found in Mr Bosse's home. I don't know what it could mean at this point.**

_**Newspaper Clipping:**_** A newspaper clipping which shows that Mr Runner lost all his races so far this season. It was a clipping from about two weeks ago. Given to me by Mr Bosse.**

_**Toolbox:**_** A toolbox found in Mr Bosse's home. I don't know why, but it seems important to me.**

_**Collection of Checks:**_** A collection of checks showing that the victim was paid millions by Mr Bosse. They probably bounced because of his situation.**

_**Piece of Receipt:**_** A torn piece of a receipt found in Mr Bosse's trash can that has the code 2D6G. Before the first digit, there's what looks like three small horizontal lines.**

_**Typed Letter:**_** A typed letter that I found that Simon presented in the courtroom. It gives what seems to be a proper motive.**

_**Piece of the Bomb:**_** A piece of the bomb with the code F4W and then what looks like an E, but it's been partly cut off. It looks familiar.**

_**Car Blueprints:**_** The car was a Ford Fusion model with the accelerator modified to require very little effort to hold down. Handed to me by Simon.**

_**Black**** Cap:**_** A cap presented as evidence by the prosecution. It has a hole on the top left side.**

**Profiles:**

_**Phoenix Wright **__**(age 36):**_** An excellent defence attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model.**

_**Ema Skye (age 28):**_** The detective/forensics investigator assigned to this case. She's pretty friendly with me and Apollo, but science is her one true love.**

_**Simon Blackquill (age 30):**_** He's an old friend of mine who's the prosecutor for this case. Formerly known as the 'Twisted Samurai,' he was in prison until about two years ago. He's also a psychologist.**

_**Röd Runner (age 25):**_** Rodrick Runner, the victim in this case. He was killed by a bomb in his racecar.**

_**Carlos Amenda (age 28):**_** My client, who is accused of murder. He was the team mechanic and was fixing the car on the night of the crime.**

_**Pitt Wilde (age 26):**_** He's a witness for this case. He works for the race team as a pit crew member. He changes the tires during a pit stop. He loves making stupid jokes.**

_**Lizzy Tanner (age 44):**_** A lady who works for the pit crew. She seems to have a "crush" on Mr Wright, and now on Simon...**

_**Richard Bosse (age 55):**_** The sponsor of the racing team the victim raced for. He is actually broke and paying people using loans.**

_**Wendy Oldbag (age ?):**_** Some old lady who seems to know Mr Wright. He doesn't seem too fond of her.**


	10. The Hospitable Turnabout - Introduction

**The Hospitable Turnabout - Introduction**

* * *

**November 18, 2029 7:22 AM**

**Athena Cykes' Apartment**

* * *

For the first time in a long time, Athena woke up an hour later than usual and not drenched in sweat, aided no doubt by her prescription for sleeping pills. The bright yellows of her walls were a hard sight for her still bleary eyes.

_I should have chosen an easier color to look at every morning… Maybe blue or red..._

She went through the motions of her morning routine, tending to her awful bedhead by brushing it back - she didn't bother with a ponytail; her hair needed a rest - and cleaning her teeth. Then she got into her athletic wear and slipped out the door.

She jogged with nothing major on her mind; her boss had given her the week off for Thanksgiving, giving her time to relax; there weren't any cases at the moment.

_I should give Junie and Apollo a call though. Catch up with them both…Junie'll probably be home herself… And I promised Apollo I'd call soon._

It was only once Athena had jogged back upstairs to her apartment that she realized she'd run twice her usual distance. Not that there was anything wrong with that; it helped wake her up, and she'd been lying if she didn't say she was starving.

A quick shower and back into loungewear, she moved to the kitchen to fix herself breakfast; pancakes seemed the best idea. She didn't have _too _much experience with cooking, but at least she didn't burn water unlike _some _people she knew, namely Apollo. She didn't even know that was _possible_ until she met him. Apollo, as always, was a lost cause…

Anyways, she _was _starting to get a bit better at making food. She could make a few simple family recipes, like her great-grandfather Sugiro's _gyūdon_. Her mother and great-great-grandmother were the two exceptions of the family, moving away from Japan to other countries.

Her mother's original name was Mari Kizuki. She was inspired by Greek literature during her college years and changed it to Metis. Metis had, of course, moved to the United States where she lived and lost her life.

Her great-great-grandmother, on the other hand, had moved to France during Japan's Meiji era, choosing to mostly assimilate into French culture, but never forgetting their roots. Her great-granduncle Sugiro was a part of this European wing of the Kizuki family.

They took Athena in out of the kindness of their hearts, after learning of her mother's demise. Their Japanese counterparts had all but forgotten about Athena, disowning Metis when she left and they heard she got herself pregnant. This had also been when Metis changed her last name to Cykes, in order to sound more American.

Athena couldn't help but feel some resentment toward this part of her family, but she didn't specifically _hate_ them, not knowing them herself. She loved her European side of the family, though, and they loved her back. It was hard to separate from them after nearly seven years of living in Europe, but having lived in France during the early part of her exile and then in England (she had graduated from Gressenheller University), she knew she had to do it for Simon.

She had always wondered about who her father was, though. Her mother never mentioned him much during her childhood and what with Athena usually being put to psychological tests during her time in the Cosmos Space Center, there had never been a right moment to broach the subject. She had thought about having Metis channeled shortly after the retrial of the UR-1 incident after learning of it from Pearl, but she declined shortly thereafter. Although she had forgiven her mother for those tests after learning that it was _for_ her and not against her, as Simon had reassured, she couldn't quite bring her courage up to face her again.

_It's far too late for that..._

She shook her head, taking her back to the present.

Getting the flour out of the cupboard, she poured the appropriate quantity into her bowl. She then got out the other dry ingredients: sugar, baking powder, and salt. She added the precise quantities her aunt had told her. Then, she took out the eggs, milk, and butter. She sifted the dry ingredients and poured the wet ingredients, also mixed together, into the dry.

Taking out a whisk, she mixed the ingredients together, creating a batter of the appropriate viscosity. She then took out a large spoon, taking care to properly spread the dough on the griddle she had heated. She had just enough dough to make three near-perfect pancakes. She put some butter on top and poured some maple syrup on them. She grinned and, griddle still on, decided she wanted an omelette and some bacon (she was going to eat well today).

She took out two eggs, chopped up a small onion, and mixed them together with some salt and pepper. She poured the mixture onto the griddle, cooking it quickly so as to avoid burning it, before throwing a couple of strips of bacon onto the skillet as well. She took comfort in the sizzling sounds and the heady, fragrant aromas; it reminded her of those weekend mornings at her aunt's breakfast table.

Transferring everything onto plates, and pouring herself a hearty glass of orange juice, Athena made her way to living plopped herself down onto the cushions and suddenly realized she had forgotten two important things for a lazy day in: her blanket and her phone. She jumped off the couch and sprinted into her bedroom to retrieve them before finally making herself comfortable.

She had nothing major to do today, nor the next week really, and she was going to enjoy her time off. She turned on the television, tuning into a random reality show, which was already halfway through. It seemed as though the presenter - a rather red-blooded, angry British man with a love for profanity - on the screen was trying to fix a hotel, whose owners were being difficult as all hell.

_Was it just another rerun of 'Hotel Hell'…?_

The series had ended nearly five years ago, but reruns were still found on FOX, which was now just another subordinate of the Walt Disney Company. She just looked over the channels again and found another channel hosting the Steel Samurai. She loved watching these, fondly remembering how Simon pointed out every inconsistency to her as a child.

She watched two episodes as she devoured her breakfast, before turning her attention back to the phone on her lap.

_Should it be Junie or Apollo…? I call Junie every week, so I guess it should be Apollo now…_

Pushing the numbers on the screen on her phone in the order she knew so well, she clicked the call button. It dialed a few times before the attorney halfway across the world picked it up.

Deciding that it would be best to put on an Apollo impersonation, Athena yelled into the receiver with everything she had, "_**Athena Cykes is doing fine!**_"

Almost immediately, she heard a thunk, clearly from Apollo's phone being dropped. She guessed that he also wanted to play along because, just as suddenly, Apollo's finely tuned Chords of Steel rang through her line. "_**Apollo Justice is doing fine!**_"

Athena's eyes looked up as she sat in thought for a moment. "…Good. Could be better. I'd give it a nine out of ten."

She could _feel_ Apollo's head shaking from the other side. "Could say the same to you. Seven out of ten for you."

"Hey, you _jerk_. I gave you a nine!" complained Athena.

"Eh. I've trained for years, so I'd have expected that. That means that at least _someone_ appreciates me…" said Apollo, with a sigh.

"Don't get in over your head, Mr Screaming Attorney," joked Athena, with a small laugh. "Or you might be screaming from something more than just training."

"…Please don't tell me you mean…" groaned Apollo, with a sigh. She could see him with his face in his hand.

Athena's eyes widened, a blush crossing her face. _Really? Now? _"Of course not, you _pervert_! I meant in pain. Are you _still_ as much of an idiot as you were when I first met you? Wait, scratch that, you're probably _more_ of an idiot."

"Jeez, you don't have to be so mean about it," said Apollo quietly.

Athena rolled her eyes. "Around you, I don't even have to be on the lookout for anything to get a good laugh at."

She heard a loud sigh in response. "Anyways…what do you want?"

Athena faked a pained reaction. "Oh, can't a girl simply call her best friend for nothing more than to discuss the news?"

"…Don't Blackquill on me. I still remember how much Rhino Calcifier I had to apply after _he_ was done with me," said Apollo, shivering slightly.

Suddenly, Athena remembered Apollo running into the courtroom bathroom after the first day of the Tenma case, his spikes drooping. When he came out, they were completely straight, if slightly wet with a type of gel. When asked what exactly it was, his answer was that it was some type of hair hardener called _'Doctor Rhino's Coif Calcifier.'_

Athena pressed on. "Anyways, let's stop beating around the bush. What's up over there in Khura'in?"

"Oh, a lot, as usual. Rebuilding a country's legal system isn't easy, but it's happening. I got my first sign of good news, though," stated Apollo.

"Yeah, and what's that?" asked Athena.

"A new generation of defense attorneys have graduated from Schoo'olau Academy. We have freshly barred defense attorneys! Can you believe that? And guess exactly who they've signed up to learn from?" said Apollo, his voice brimming with excitement.

Athena smiled proudly for her friend. "Let me guess. They've signed up to learn from the great Apollo Justice?"

"Yup!" exclaimed Apollo. "I haven't told anyone yet! Not even Mr Wright. They only graduated a few months ago, in September. I'm still in the process of reviewing the applicants. So far, about fifteen of the graduating class have submitted resumes to me. I've only gotten the chance to interview one so far. Her name was Sav'eya Sole. She seems like a nice girl; I'm not going to lie, I think I'm going to accept her. I probably won't be able to take them all, though."

"I can see that _someone's_ excited," said Athena, grinning from ear to ear.

"Of course I am! Not only is this the first generation of defense attorneys in over two decades since Ga'ran _that I personally get to train_, but now I don't have to take all of these cases alone!" shouted Apollo, sighing in relief.

Smiling gently, Athena truthfully said, "I'm so happy for you, Apollo. How many cases have you had to take in the past few months?"

Apollo's voice lost some of its earlier energy. "I've lost count. The hardest part is doing these cases completely alone, but I know I can handle it."

At this, Athena couldn't help but feel a little bit intimidated—jealous, Widget would say. She hadn't taken on a _single _case_ alone_. Almost all of them needed Apollo, Simon, or Phoenix himself there in order to help her along. Even in the last one she took, with Mr Amenda and Richard Bosse, she still needed help from Phoenix in order to solve it. No matter what they said, Athena couldn't feel completely confident, though she acted otherwise.

"So what about you?" asked Apollo, interrupting Athena's train of thought.

"Oh me? I—erm—I haven't done much…" said Athena, hoping to quickly change topics. "But you'v—"

_**Hold It!**_

Athena jumped at hearing Apollo's sudden use of the courtroom phrase. With his Chords of Steel at work, Athena had to hold the phone an arm's length away for a few seconds.

** "**Athena… I don't need a special sense of hearing to tell me that you're lying," said Apollo, his genial tone disappearing.

"As I said, I haven't done much," replied Athena. It was the truth.

"_Athena!_"

"Okay, fine, I've taken on a few cases, but never alone like you! Most cases I've taken, I've just been an assistant to Mr Wright and the one case that I did take, I needed his help to win it," said Athena, practically lightning fast.

"Athena…"

"But it's the truth! That's literally _all _I've done!" said Athena, her voice shaking slightly. "I'm useless, Apollo. Useless."

"No, you're not! When I began as an attorney, even _Trucy_ was better at making conclusions in court or during investigations than I was. I was barely able to stand up to the prosecution," said Apollo. Athena heard no discord in his voice.

"But I'm not just beginning as an attorney, Apollo! I'm supposed to have over two full years of experience at my back! I'm supposed to be better at this!" Athena shot back.

"No! Back when I defeated Ga'ran, I also had Mr Wright on my side, Athena. He stood next to me as my co-counsel. Surely you remember that!" said Apollo.

"B-but I-I'm not…I'll never be as good as you or Mr Wright," said Athena.

Silence pervaded the conversation for a long time.

"No, you won't," said Apollo simply.

Athena's head and shoulders drooped. She felt ashamed, tears stinging slightly at her eyes. If even Apollo had given up on her, then…

"But you don't _need _to be, Athena," continued Apollo after a short pause, his voice quiet.

"…Huh?" said Athena, her voice still rough from holding back tears.

"…Your name is Athena Cykes. _Athena Cykes_. Not Apollo Justice or Phoenix Wright," said Apollo, steadily getting louder.

"Apollo, if this is just another attempt to patronize me, I swear I'm going to—"

"For Pete's sake, Athena," replied an exasperated Apollo. "I'm not trying to patronize you! Face it, Athena, you aren't me or Mr Wright, but you don't have to be. You have to be as good as Athena Cykes can be."

_…Apollo…_

"Athena, as your best friend, I'm telling you that you're fine. Now say it with me: '_My name is Athena Cykes and I'm fine!'_"said Apollo resolutely.

"A-Apollo…" said Athena, too shocked to speak.

"C'mon, let me hear it!" demanded Apollo.

"My name is Athena Cykes…and I'm…fine…" Athena whispered into the phone.

"_What was that?! Louder!"_ replied a firm Apollo.

"_My name is Athena Cykes and I'm fine!"_ replied Athena, louder as requested.

"Still not enough. Scream it out loud for the world to hear, Athena!" ordered Apollo.

"_**My name is Athena Cykes and I'm fine!**_" roared Athena, finally nodding at her voice. She smiled with happy tears glazing her eyes.

"Now _that's_ what I like to hear!" replied Apollo. Athena could imagine a small smile on his face.

"Thank you, Apollo…" said Athena quietly. "I…I really needed to hear that."

"…Just remember Athena, you're not alone in this. You have people who believe in you, like me, Juniper, Mr Wright, and Mr Blackquill."

She sniffled slightly.

"Don't flood your apartment, there, you big baby," said Apollo, lightening the mood.

"I won't, you big jerk," said Athena, though she was grinning by now.

This is why she loved having Apollo as a friend. He almost always knew what to say, except when he didn't. The only reason he was suspicious of her during the Terran case was to be able to trust her fully. And after that, he did all he could to make sure she could trust in herself. Him, Mr Wright, Simon, and Junie.

_Darn… I almost forgot to call Junie. But… I can just call her whenever._

"Thanks…for everything, Apollo."

"Don't mention it. I know just how it feels to doubt yourself. It's hard enough being an attorney for others, but when you can't be one for yourself, it's just… _urgh_," said Apollo gently.

"...When do you think you can come back, Apollo?" asked Athena out of the blue.

Apollo didn't reply for a long while. "…I…I don't know, Athena. Maybe two to three years, maybe more or less. I have to train a few protégés of my own now. But I promise that once that's over, I'll be back. They can take over my firm. Scout's Honor!"

Athena's heart sank. "…You can't even come to visit?"

"I think I might be able to show up for Christmas, though I have to get a look at a few of the prospective attorneys and celebrate Her Benevolence's birthday..."

Athena felt a bit happier, knowing he could show up at all. He hadn't been to America in nearly a year.

"Anyways, I think I'd better get going, Athena. I have a lot of work to do, unlike you. I've got five clients to defend this week!"

Athena giggled at Apollo's workload. "Well then, I guess I'll talk to you later, Apollo."

"Oh, and Athena."

"What?"

"Happy Thanksgiving, if I can't call to say it."

"…Happy whatever festival they have there, Apollo."

_BEEP!_

_ I'm so lucky to have Apollo on my side. _She shook her head happily. _I don't know if I deserve people like him sometimes._

"I'll just call Junie later," Athena whispered to herself. She just didn't have it in herself to call anyone at this moment.

_No, even better, I can go visit her this week! The Boss invited me to his apartment for Thanksgiving, but I can go see her before that. And it would be rude to refuse either of them and, unlike Apollo, I'm not a jerk._

She switched the television back on for some background noise, wrapping herself deeper onto a blanket. She slowly lowered herself onto the sofa, feeling extremely comfortable under all the cushions…on the soft…_soft_…sofa.

_ "On the charges of murder and arson, this court hereby declares the defendant, Ms Malitia Atishon-Remmings…"_

"_**Guilty!"**_

_"The defendant will submit themselves to a higher court, pending further trial to be awarded their sentence," ordered the Judge, slamming his gavel. "Court is adj—"_

_ And then it began. A small chuckle at first, becoming louder and louder every second, until it sounded less like a laugh and more like a shriek. She laughed until her lungs were very nearly out of air._

_ "…Congratulations, Prosecutor, you've won your gift…"_

_ Blackquill didn't reply, simply looking on at the event before him with a stern gaze, too shocked to move. Her gaze shifted to a spot above him. She was now looking directly at Athena, whose eyes were still closed, her ears still ringing from the assault._

_ With that, she laughed again. Athena covered her ears, trying to block out the noise, but it was all too much for the young girl. She wasn't ready for anything like this. She hadn't ever heard these emotions before; it was so harsh, so cold, full of shock and anger. And...was that fear?_

_ Suddenly the woman stopped laughing. Athena cracked open an eye, focusing her gaze on the wood of the witness stand._

_"Here is your _gift_, now_. _I hope you like it_. _Ha!" she said, with a mirthless howl._

_ Athena__'s gaze moved upwards;__ she could see __the woman __reaching into her suit pocket for something… _

_Whatever it was, she didn't want __to see__. So she closed her eyes again, hoping that whatever it was, it would go away. She was scared_—_no, __completely and utterly terrified._

_She wanted Simon._

_She wanted Aura._

_She wanted her mommy._

_"__**Athena, get down!**__"_

Athena woke up immediately after that. She stared at the clock for a few seconds before realizing that the time was nearly one o' clock. She'd been asleep for nearly three hours. She ripped off the blanket and ran into her bathroom, washing off her face with the cold water. She dried off her face, immediately feeling a bit calmer.

_If I was going to sleep, I should have taken my damn __pills__. What __the _hell_ was _that_? It was never as detailed as that was. Maybe it was just because of how tired I was, especially after that talk with Apollo… and the fact that I stayed up late last night watching reality TV…_

She walked back into the living room, sitting herself on the couch, wide-awake and alert this time. She put her face in her hands, sighing at the recurring terrors. After the Phantom had been locked away, her life _had_ taken a turn for the better. She was able to move on from her mother's death and Simon was a free man, but just as suddenly as that nightmare had passed, this one had reared its ugly head _again_.

She shook her head, finally clearing herself of the emotions she'd been feeling. Imagine that… she could help others deal with their emotions, giving them therapy, but couldn't even do the same herself. It was like Apollo said, she wouldn't have anyone to defend herself if she was the one beating herself up. She looked up at the television only now noticing that it was on.

_My power bill's going to be off the charts. Thank goodness I don't have to pay for insurance_.

"…and he was found stabbed, though investigations are still ongoing."

_Wait, what's going on?_

She looked up at the television, seeing that a breaking news broadcast was going through the screen. On the top left, it showed a rather intense looking man, with small, black rectangular glasses perched on his nose, covering his blue eyes. His crimson hair was neatly combed back. He had on a black suit, which only accentuated his rather masculine figure. He was not fully muscular, as Bosse or Runner were, but he was still physically fit.

_Wow…that's…I don't even have words to describe him…_

"The accused is the Head Bellboy of Gatewater Imperial, William Boye. The motive behind this crime is unclear for now."

A picture was shown on-screen of a man with brown eyes, mostly coffee-brown hair with a streak of lighter hair above his right eye, who carried a tray with tea-serving items laden upon it. He wore a Gatewater Hotel branded suit and had a small smile was on his face. He was sunk halfway into a bow, looking at the camera.

_Hmm… That's the defendant? He doesn't look like he'd hurt a fly._

The reporter pressed on. "When asked to comment on Mr Abaddon's death, he replied that he had 'ab-_so_-lutely no connection' to the murder."

_Abaddon? Is that __the victim's name__?_

"As many in the legal world know, Mr Alexander Abaddon was an international prosecutor who worked with Interpol notably with fellow international prosecutor, Franziska von Karma. Ms von Karma has made it known that she will seek justice for Mr Abaddon and his family by prosecuting his killer," said the news reporter nonchalantly.

"C'mon look at that guy! He wouldn't kill anybody. He doesn't even look strong enough to do it!" Athena yelled at the television. She shook her head.

_These people…_ _Assuming guilt before innocence. This is why the dark age of law happened, people. Get it through your heads!_

"The defendant does not yet have a defense attorney, and many are reluctant to defend him, especially with Ms von Karma prosecuting the case. The Gatewater Corporation has already fired him and refused to appoint a lawyer of their own..."

_Now that's just not fair! ...I know I'm supposed to be on break now, but I can't just let this happen._

She got up immediately to change and head over to the detention center. She picked up her phone, dialing the number for Phoenix, but then hesitated to press call.

…_The Boss really wanted to enjoy his Thanksgiving break. My case is just going to ruin that._

_Besides…If I want to become better, I'm going to have to start taking cases on my own, so why don't I just start now?_

She pressed another button, taking her back to the home page. She hoped she was making the right decision, but then firmly nodded and headed to her room.

* * *

**November 18, 2029 1:45 PM**

**Detention Center**

**Visitor's Room**

* * *

On the other side of the glass sat the bellboy she'd seen on the television. He looked a lot more nervous than she'd ever seen a criminal. He was a bit jumpy as he walked in and his breathing was a bit more rapid than a regular person but he kept himself mostly composed. He carried a tray of tea items with him.

"Hello, Mr Boye," said Athena, giving smile.

"Might I ask of you your name, good lady?" asked Boye, raising an eyebrow.

"Athena Cykes and I'm a defense attorney," said Athena, showing him the badge proudly sitting on her lapel.

"Are you going to defend me, Ms Cykes?" asked Boye. His eyes gleamed with unsung hope.

"Well, that depends. I'm going to have to ask you to tell me what exactly happened," stated Athena. She loved how professional she was sounding here.

Boye leaned back on his seat, still looking at Athena. "Well, Mr Abaddon had an accident this morning in the fitness center trying to lift his weights. It seemed he overexerted himself."

"What happened?"

"He was helped up and taken to his room. I was asked to bring him a cup of coffee. But when I found him...he was already dead."

"Already dead?"

"Well, he sort of twitched and I got scared. I ran out because I thought I'd be suspected of killing him. I left my coffee carrying plate and supplies there."

_No discord there, so he probably isn't lying._

"So you don't know how exactly he died?" asked Athena, looking at him beseechingly.

"…Nope. All I remember was seeing a rather expensive scarf around his neck."

Athena remained silent, trying to process this new information. Then, she opened her eyes and grinned at him. "Prepare them, okay?"

"Prepare what, Ms Cykes?"

"The documents to request that I be your attorney. I'll go investigate the crime scene and I'll be back, okay, Mr Boye?"

"Are…are you...?"

"Yes, I am going to defend you, Mr Boye. Don't worry about a thing because Athena Cykes is on the case!" exclaimed Athena. She just wanted to jump out of her seat and rush to investigate, but it would have looked too unprofessional.

"Thank you, Ms Cykes," said Boye, bowing low. He looked absolutely relieved at having her take the case. His breathing had slowed down quite a bit from where it was. She looked down at her watch and received a shock: She didn't have much time. It was two o'clock already. She needed all the time she had left to go and investigate the murder.

"…So I guess I go to the Gatewater Imperial Hotel now, right?"

"Yes, Room 1337."

_This guy must have either been the luckiest man alive or the most egotistical maniac in the world. I'd go with the former._

She got off the seat and gave her client a nod and left the room, intending to go to the hotel. She fumbled with the phone in her pocket one more time, as though deciding whether or not to call Phoenix. Eventually, she shook her head.

She was all alone with this today.

And that was just how it was going to be…how it _had_ to be. She had to prove herself worthy of Apollo, Simon, Phoenix's belief. She was going to show them how much she'd grown. She could do this. Her name was _Athena Cykes _and she was going to be just _fine_!

* * *

_**Court Record: **_

_**Evidence:**_

_**Attorney's Badge:**_** This is proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Profiles:**_

_**Phoenix Wright (age 37): **_**An excellent defense attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model, but he isn't here right now.**

_**Alexander Abaddon (age 44): **_**An international prosecutor who was working with Franziska von Karma in an investigation. He was killed in his hotel room.**

_**William Boye (age 38): **_**The head bellboy of the establishment, who was arrested for murder. He's my client.**

_**Franziska von Karma (age 29): **_**A famous international prosecutor from Germany, who aids Interpol in their investigations when they're out of their league.**


	11. The Hospitable Turnabout - Part 1

**Investigation - Day 1 - Part 1**

* * *

**November 18, 2:27 PM**

**Gatewater Imperial Hotel**

**Reception**

* * *

The hotel that Athena just stepped into screamed opulence, with its marble floors and high ceilings; beautiful Baroque paintings adorned the walls and golden vases filled to the brim with flowers she had never seen before stood on sleek mahogany tables, around which several young women sat, kitted out in their absurdly overpriced designer gear.

_They really want to seem grandiose, huh? If I could afford even half of this, I wouldn't even need to be a lawyer…_

Ignoring the stares that followed her — it was no surprise she stuck out like a sore thumb here — Athena marched up the red carpet to the front desk, where a man decked out in a suit with a smarmy smile stood.

"Hello, Miss, lovely day we're having! Do you have a reservation here?"

Athena didn't want to waste much time talking, but she needed to make her way to room 1337. She flashed her attorney's badge at him.

"Erm…I wanted to say that I'm Mr Boye's defense attorney. I have to investigate the crime scene."

At the mention of the bellboy, the receptionist's face changed very slightly. His smile was still on his face, but it looked placid and forced.

"Mr Boye's defense, huh?"

Athena could suddenly sense a small amount of anger and possibly annoyance in his voice. "Yes, is something wrong?"

"No, no! Nothing's wrong!" said the receptionist unconvincingly. His grin was becoming much more obviously unnatural, but his teeth remained gritted.

Athena decided not to try to get into a discussion about it right now. Instead, she slammed a fist onto the receptionist's desk, causing him to jump suddenly. "Mr Receptionist, please, I need to know which room the victim was in and how to get there."

"That's Mr Reggie Starr to you, Mis—"

"Cykes. My name is Athena Cykes."

"Well, Ms Cykes, do you have a reservation or not? I can't let you in unless you have a reservation," said Starr giving her a once-over, his lips moving upwards in a smirk.

_Not surprised. This happens on a regular basis..._

Athena frowned. "I told you what I'm here for. I have to investigate the crime scene. _Please_ let me in!"

"Well… _sorry,_ Ms Cykes, but I can't let you in," said Starr, his smirk growing with Athena's desperation.

"Then what _can_ I do?"

"Quite possibly nothing, Ms Cykes. I'm sorry," he shook his head, his expression feigning sympathy, "but it's a rule from up high."

"Damn it! Don't you get it, Mr. Starr? An innocent life is on the line! If I can't investigate the crime scene, then I won't be able to get evidence!" exclaimed Athena, slamming her hands down on the desk.

"...What exactly is going on here?" asked a stern, accented voice behind Athena.

Athena spun around, coming face to face with a short pale woman with long silver-blue hair down to her shoulders, dressed very elegantly in her dark blue coat and frock, with a cravat complete with a brooch on her neck. A pair of reading glasses framed her face, bringing out her cold blue eyes.

"Oh—erm—Ms von Karma!" said Starr, recognizing the woman quickly; her hands were on her hips, her fingers tapping at the accessory — was that a whip? — on her belt. His confidence quickly vanished, replaced by a slight worry. "I didn't notice you there."

"For I just came from the gymnasium, you fool," said Franziska nonchalantly, shaking her head. Her gaze eventually locked onto Athena. "And who might you be?"

Athena flashed a peace sign at her. "Athena Cykes. I'm the defense attorney for Mr Boye."

Franziska raised an eyebrow. "Athena Cykes? Weren't you at the center of that UR-1 incident back in 2020?"

Athena shivered involuntarily at the mere mention of the case. "Y-Yes…I was."

"I see. I presume then — with what little I recall of the case — you are acquainted with Simon Blackquill?"

"Of course I know Simon. He's like family to me!" said Athena, with a grin.

"Then you are the very same Athena Cykes he speaks so fondly of," said Franziska, a near unnoticeable smile on her face. "He goes on at length about you."

"Really?!"

_Note to self: Don't allow Simon to live this down._

"Wait...you were the one who helped Simon in his first ever trial!"

Franziska laughed gently; it was a refined laugh, honed over successive years.

"Yes, I quite remember that fiasco of a trial; Simon Blackquill was, as he would put it, 'but a fledgling' then, in need of my aid. That said, I was rather proud of his efforts then and the potential he displayed. Of course…" she trailed off, clearing her throat. "In any case, Miles Edgeworth requested my presence today to help resolve _this matter_ once and for all."

"What matter are you talking about here?" asked Athena, tilting her head to the right.

"The Purple Flames, of course. Now, I've gotten a bit sidetracked what with the death of my investigative partner, Alexander Abbadon, I might have to re-enlist in Simon Blackquill's services…"

Athena could sense a tiny amount of discord in that statement, though she didn't know what it could be. Was it a bit of happiness…?

"And you said you are to be William Boye's defense attorney?"

"Yup, that's right!"

"Interesting. I must admit, I had expected to come across Phoenix Wright today, knowing he likes to show up at the most inopportune of times."

Athena's smile hardened slightly.

_Of course, everyone wants to fight the _Boss_. I'm just second-fiddle to everything._

"Yeah, but he isn't here now. I'm on this case on my own."

Franziska raised an eyebrow. "From the way you phrased that, it seems as though you know him well."

"Yep! He's my boss!"

"Your boss?" A teasing smirk tugged at her lips. "I am...most intrigued to see what he's taught his protégés if anything."

"Huh?"

"I'm not sure if you're aware — if you aren't then that's testament to Phoenix Wright's inadequacy as a mentor — but he was the only man to deal a blow to my so-called perfect record back in 2017," informed Franziska, pushing her glasses up with two fingers in a gesture very similar to Edgeworth's.

"Of course, I do not concern myself with such trivial matters as perfection these days, but for the sake of nostalgia perhaps, I've been interested in a rematch, if only to determine whether his foolish abilities are the same as ever or if they've since developed.

"Now then, enough idle chatting. I'm guessing you'll want to investigate the crime scene?"

Athena nodded, and Franziska let out another refined laugh.

"Well, you're in luck; Forensics is just about to wrap up their investigation in fifteen minutes, so I recommend you wait until then."

_A prosecutor who is nice for a change? I could get used to this…_

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Ms von Karma, but Ms Cykes can't proceed without a reservation," a snooty Starr interjected.

Franziska turned around and gave him a stern glare over her the rim of glasses.

"_I_ didn't make a reservation."

"Y-Yeah, but you're a _famous prosecutor!_" exclaimed Starr, flabbergasted. "I _have_ to let _you_ in. Orders from higher up."

"I do not care for your authorities; those investigating this matter answer to Interpol," Franziska countered. "Furthermore, I don't care for such extreme displays of stubbornness. If you do not cease this at once, I may have to use _this_, something I don't like doing."

His eyes widened as he noticed Franziska's hand traveling slowly to the whip, still sitting on her belt. He comically shook his head and fixed Athena with a peeved look.

"I…_fine_. I lied, _okay_? Just go in, lawyer girl," said Starr, muttering something about 'the morons I have to go through' as he turned back to his computer to log Athena's entry in.

Franziska smirked, proudly raising her head and considering this a victory. Athena punched the air.

"Thank you, Ms von Karma!" exclaimed Athena, heading straight for the elevators.

After an agonizingly long time in the elevator, being subjected to awful music, the doors opened to reveal a two-way hall, with the left-hand side leading to rooms one to thirty-two and right-hand side leading to rooms thirty-three to sixty-six.

_1337...__It should be on this side of the hallway. _

It was very easy to make out the room, what with the throng of police officers spilling out into the hallway. Athena made out a rather tall greying man in a green trench coat, who towered over everyone else, barking out orders.

"Hey, pal, make sure you hand over an analysis of those fingerprints to Ms von Karma," he said to one technician.

He pointed at another officer. "And you, make sure that the scarf is tested for any fingerprints."

"And _someone_ needs to quickly check that cup of coffee if there's anything in it. If not, I'm just gonna drink it; I forgot to have some this morning what with the wife and kids!" he added, laughing at his little joke.

Athena made her way into the room, stepping over a few lab technicians.

"Er—Hello there, Detective…?"

"That's _Chief of Police Dick Gumshoe _to you, pal!" Gumshoe exclaimed, spinning around to face Athena. "And if you're looking to give a statement or you're one of them reporters, I'd ask you to leave and come back another time."

"Erm, well, my name's Athena Cykes! I'm Mr Boye's defense attorney."

Gumshoe's stared at her incredulously. "What, they letting babies be defense attorneys now?"

_They have prosecutors at thirteen though!_

"So… you got any proof of that, pal?"

Athena simply flashed her lapel at him, showing him her badge, sitting proudly where it belonged. Gumshoe stared at it for a few moments before nodding. He scratched at his head and looked away, realizing he had made the conversation awkward from the start.

"Oh, sorry, pal. You see, I've been working real hard with Mr Edgeworth to get this whole 'Dark Age of the Law' stuff cleaned up, so I have to be real careful, y'know? Can't repeat the same mistakes as last time…"

Athena's eyes widened.

"You worked with Mr Edgeworth?!"

Mr Edgeworth had once mentioned that he had a friend at the police department, but she never imagined that _this hulk of a man_ would be it.

"Yup! Him and I are best buddies. We've solved all sorts of crimes together! We're actually a trio; Mr Edgeworth with his logic, me with my expert detective skills, and Detective Faraday with her Little Thief thingamajig!" chortled Gumshoe, a fond smile on his face.

"Chief Gumshoe, sir!"

Gumshoe turned around his previously soft expression hardening. "Yes, Detective Kowalski? Are you finished with your analysis?"

"Not yet, sir! But, Ms von Karma is here to see you!"

Gumshoe nodded tersely. "Alright pal, let me know when you guys are done with the room so Ms Cykes here can check it out."

"Scruffy, it is good to see you again!"

Gumshoe's eyes widened and his body tensed suddenly. "Ms von Karma! You're here! How long has it been?"

"Almost six now. As my cases have taken me all across the globe, I, unfortunately, haven't made much time to catch up with you since the wedding. I...presume Ms Maggey Gumshoe is doing well?"

"Aw, pal! You don't have to worry about seeing me! "But yeah, Maggey's doing great! We've just had another baby - she's called Rose! Of course, you know I made Mr Edgeworth Lincoln's godfather…"

"...Yes, my little brother did inform me. I am...glad to hear all is well."

"Awwww, pal, have you become a softie after all these years?" asked Gumshoe teasingly, with a small chuckle.

"I have become no such thing, Scruffy! I've grown up, if that's what you're asking. Nothing more, nothing less."

Gumshoe's smile remained plastered to his face. His body began to relax, going back to its regular breathing motions…

_Crack!_

Suddenly, Gumshoe cried out in pain. "What was that for, pal?"

Franziska took her turn to smirk now, coiling her whip back into her belt. "That was simply for old time's sakes, Scruffy. Don't worry about it happening again unless you truly anger me."

Gumshoe mumbled quietly under his breath, "I let my guard down for one second…"

"Now then, onto more pressing matters, do you have any new information for me?"

Athena suddenly wanted to stay in the room to hear this out. However, before Gumshoe could speak, Franziska's gaze moved onto her. She held up a hand to stop him.

"Athena Cykes, will you please step out? This is not a conversation meant for the defense, I'm afraid," she requested calmly, her eyes moving to the door. It was not, of course, a request, but a disguised demand.

Athena sighed, but immediately complied, leaving the room and closing the door behind her. Looking for something to keep her occupied, she took to simply observing the hallway, keeping her eyes on the different paintings.

Within a few minutes, even that got boring. She looked left down the hallway she came, keeping her eyes now on the floor. Suddenly something she hadn't noticed before came to her attention. She gasped, her eyes wide.

_There are bloody footprints there, leading to the elevator!_

**Bloody Footprints added to Court Record.**

"I'd better tell Franziska this, but they probably already know," said Athena, taking a picture of the footprint and jotting some quick notes onto a notepad.

_You never know when Widget may suddenly malfunction… or I may snap…_

Athena finished taking down notes on the footprint and looked around for anything else. The only thing she noticed apart from the paintings that lined the walls were the security cameras, which were recording her every move. Just to play around, Athena flashed a peace sign at the camera before breaking out in silent giggles.

_I think I may already have snapped…_

After a further five minutes of distracting herself, Athena finally heard the door opening. Franziska walked out with a smirk on her face.

She looked at Athena and curtsied, saying, "You can investigate the room in two minutes."

"Thank you, Ms von Karma!" exclaimed Athena, punching her left fist into her right palm.

"I can see that you're excited about investigating the crime scene," said Franziska, smiling appreciatively. "However, the police have already gone from end to end in the room, therefore, there may not be anything left for you that we haven't already noted."

"That's fine! Any investigation is better than no investigation at all!" chirped Athena, her eyes close in a grin.

"I see," said Franziska, her smile faltering slightly. "I would love to stay and chat, Athena Cykes, but unfortunately, I have to leave now. I will be in the Prosecutor's Office if you require my aid."

_Not likely! Why would I tell the prosecution anything?_

"Okay! Thank you, Ms von Karma!"

…_I'm not facing Simon tomorrow. I'm fighting Franziska von Karma, the prodigy German prosecutor, who only lost to Mr Wright at his best. Can I pull through?_

A memory flashed through her mind of the conversation she had with Apollo that morning.

'…_You have to be as good as __**Athena Cykes **__can be…'_

…_I'll be fine. I can't just mope around like this. If I want to live up to _anyone_, then I have to get to work!_

With that, Athena nodded and waited for a few moments. Within minutes, the police left the room, carting evidence bags and heavy technical equipment. Just before Athena could go into the room, Gumshoe called out, "Hey, pal!"

"Yes?"

"What did you want to talk about, Chief Gumshoe?" asked Athena.

"So, Ms von Karma says that you know my pal, Phoenix Wright," said Gumshoe. "Why didn't you say anything to me?"

At this, Athena suddenly felt a bit tight-lipped. She didn't really want to talk about Phoenix at that moment. Maybe it was inferiority or maybe it was something else. "Well…it never came up."

"Well, any friend of Phoenix Wright is a friend of mine! So, let me know if you need any of my old investigative tools!"

"Will do!" she said, flashing him a peace sign.

"But before you do, pal, Ms von Karma wanted me to give you one of these holographic thingies; it's got all the evidence uploaded on it, because we're processing a lot of it right now with the coroner…"

"Wow! This'll help me a lot!"

_Guess technology's really come a long way, huh? And yet the Boss still uses that brick phone…_

"I guess I'll leave you to it now. See you in court, pal!" said Gumshoe, spinning around and walking away.

**Crime Scene Photos added to Court Record**

**Bloody Knife added to Court Record**

**Scarf added to Court Record**

Athena examined the evidence closely; the victim had apparently been found laying on the right side of the bed, with a knife in his heart and a blue scarf tied around his neck, obscuring the lower half of his face. The bed seemed to have blood on it, under the body.

Using this new information, she stepped in the room to familiarise herself with the details.

In the center of the room was a bed, with nightstands on either side of it; some of the drawers were open. Directly opposite the bed was a door to the conjoining room, 1336. And to the right of the door stood a large bookshelf with thick heavy tomes.

_Wonder who stays in 1336..._

Upon closer examination, Athena noticed that the police had marked the drawer to the right of the bed as important. She could also see that they had dusted it for prints. But when she went to open the drawer...

"An empty drawer? Why would this be marked as evidence then? But if the police consider this as evidence, I should, too..."

**Drawer added to Court Record**

_…Still…what could have been inside it? And why is it evidence…? I guess I'll figure out more tomorrow._

Athena walked around the room, examining the rest of the unlabeled drawers, which to her annoyance, contained nothing. In her desperation, she decided to do the one thing anybody did when they were desperate; get down on her hands and knees and look under the bed.

Lo and behold, something was on the ground! She pulled it out, discovering it was a gold Gatewater Imperial pen, most likely from the front desk or room service.

_If it belonged to room service, then I'm probably screwed. Why am I not surprised? I'm always the one who's being screwed… in court, of course! I'm a _good _girl! _

She got up off the floor and walked over to the shelf, searching the books for anything interesting. Of course, she found nothing.

She walked around the bed to check the closet, only to find that it was locked.

_What the hell? Why is it that whenever I take a case, I always have to go through things like this?_

It seemed as though the universe had it out on her from day one. First with her unneeded hearing abilities, prompting her mother to try to help her, which damaged their relationship. Second, that damn awful incident in 2020. Third, that day with Simon in the detention center. Fourth, things like this!

"There has to be key around here somewhere, right?" Athena asked to pretty much no-one.

But just before she could leave, a feminine voice called out to her from the doorway.

"_E-Excusez-moi, mademoiselle, mais...qu'est-ce qui se passe ici?_"

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

_**Evidence:**_

_**Attorney's Badge:**_** This is proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Bloody Footprints:**_** A set of Bloody Footprints leading to the elevator that I found in the hallway outside the victim's room.**

_**Crime Scene Photos:**_** The victim is lying face-up on the right side of the bed, which has blood underneath the body. He appears to have been stabbed and strangled to death.**

_**Bloody Knife:**_** A bloody knife**** f****o****und**** stuck in the victim's chest****.**

_**Scarf: **_**Scarf found tied around the victim's neck extremely tightly.**

_**Drawer: **_**An empty drawer in the victim's room. The police labeled it as evidence.**

_**Profiles:**_

_**Phoenix Wright (age 37): **_**An excellent defense attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model, but he isn't here right now.**

_**William Boye (age 39): **_**The head bellboy of the establishment, who was arrested for murder. He's my client.**

_**Alexander Abaddon (age 44): **_**An international prosecutor who was working with Franziska von Karma in an investigation. He was killed in his hotel room.**

_**Reggie Starr (age 46):**_ **The receptionist of the hotel who seems to hate my client for some reason.**

_**Franziska von Karma (age 29): **_**A famous international prosecutor from Germany, who aids Interpol in their investigations when they're out of their league.**

_**Dick Gumshoe (age 42): **_**A very large man who's the Chief of Police. He took over this investigation for some reason.**

_**?**_ _**(age ?): **_**A woman who called out to me as I was investigating the room.**

* * *

**A/N: For your daily infusion of fools, look no further than here:**

**The lawyers at the WAA are obviously foolishly foolish fools doing foolishly foolish things foolishly because they are foolishly foolish fools who would no doubt foolishly mess up the foolishly foolish tasks they're foolishly presented with.**

**There you go! Hope you had a good laugh. Please make sure to read and review.**


	12. The Hospitable Turnabout - Part 2

**Investigation - Day 1 - Part 2**

* * *

**November 18, 2029 3:43 PM**

**Gatewater Imperial Hotel**

**Room 1337**

* * *

"Wait, what?" asked Athena, as she spun around to get a better look at the intruder, the French not immediately translating.

In less than a second, Athena's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. If she were bisexual or a guy, she would surely have been drooling at that moment. Before her stood the most jarringly attractive woman she had seen.

The woman carried herself in a dignified pose. Her arms were crossed over her rather large chest, which was _highly_ accentuated by the tight grey dress she wore. She had an apprehensive look on her face, her eyes alert.

"Pardon me, but what exactly are you doing in my dead colleague's room?"

'_And the world record for "getting a person to hate you the fastest" goes to Athena Cykes! Less than ten seconds for the person to hate you! Come up and accept your prize!'_

'_Thank you! Thank you! I couldn't have done it without the help of my close friend, Apollo Justice, and law school!'_

Athena's eyes widened. "_You're_ his colleague?"

_This man must be the luckiest guy in the world… Room 1337 _and_ this woman to be a co-worker…_

"Yes, my name is Selene Libidine," said the woman, still looking Athena up and down. Eventually, she ran a hand through her long blonde hair, done in curls, asking, "And you are?"

Athena didn't move. "My name is Athena Cykes, ma'am."

"My friends call me Selene or Sellie," commented Libidine, not even looking at Athena.

"Sorry then, Selene!" exclaimed Athena, holding out her hand to shake.

Selene looked at Athena's hand and then back up at her face. "I said my _friends_ call me Selene. I do not know of you."

_Then why the hell did you tell me that? To make me jealous?_

"…So, as I asked you before…what _exactly_ are you doing in zis room?" she asked pointedly, giving Athena a glare.

"I was just investigating the crime scene, Ms Libidine," Athena replied quickly. She didn't want to give this woman further reason to hate her.

She looked Athena up and down once again. Hotly, she said, "You don't look like ze other detectives. Especially not zat one in green. _Are you lying to a prosecutor, Cykes?_ I can 'ave you arrested for zat."

_Funny how she believed my name, but not my job…_

Athena waved her hands enthusiastically in the air to dispel Libidine from getting the wrong idea. "No, no! I'm a defense attorney! I'm defending the accused, Mr William Boye."

She finished off by flashing her badge at Libidine.

"Oh…" commented Libidine. Looking slightly down, she said, "Sorry. I just thought zat you were trying to steal something."

_Maybe my use of psychology could help with this._

Athena stepped forward, placing a calming hand on Libidine's shoulder. "Hey, that's okay. I know you didn't mean to. You were just upset and don't know what to think now."

Suddenly, Libidine's blue eyes flashed warningly at her. "Who said you could touch me?"

Athena immediately took her hand off, as though burnt. "Sorry, I was just trying to—"

"Comfort me? Did you seriously think zat _zat_ would comfort me? You do not 'ave _any_ idea 'ow I feel, Cykes. You do not 'ave a single _clue_!" she exclaimed, moving back. Her eyes shot pure venom at Athena, as though she was a poster child which she could cast her hate upon.

_I _completely_ misjudged that interaction… Maybe I should have taken it slower…_

"I'm sorry, Ms. Libidine. I didn't mean to act that way," said Athena slowly and calmly, hoping to salvage something of a working relationship.

But...

"Why are you talking to me like I'm a little girl? I am no such thing!" said Libidine, cheeks turning bright red. Athena could sense the hurt originally there in her voice magnified hundred-fold. "Everyone treats me like some sort of emotional wench!"

_That's because you kind of _are_ one…_

She began to tremble very slightly.

_…__She doesn't really seem like _just_ a colleague__…_

"Of course I'm upset zat Alexander died, but I am _not_ helpless!" she screamed at her, before turning right around and running off, her red heels stomping loudly on the ground. In her rush, she dropped something—which made a tinkling sound—on the ground.

_And that's another conversation that went perfectly fine. I wonder how she runs with pantyhose like those… I know I couldn't…_

Athena walked to where Libidine had been standing mere moments before. She crouched down and picked up the small object that Libidine had dropped; it felt metallic. Bringing it up to her eye, she noticed that it was a small key.

_Wait! Could this be th—_

Loud stomping noises echoed in the halls outside.

_Could Ms Libidine be coming back? I'd better hide this key!_

**Key added to Court Record.**

With that, she stuffed the key into her pocket and got up off the floor, just as the source of the noise ran up to the doorway.

"Freeze, scumbag!"

A hotel security guard – a slightly older woman in blue Gaterwater-embossed uniform and black hair, cut pixie-style, in a security hat – stood in the doorway. Her name tag labeled her as '_Chloe DeGarde_.'

"Woah, woah! I'm not a scumbag!" said Athena, raising her hands above her head.

"We heard that there were loud noises coming from this room?"

DeGarde looked around the room through her shades. "No one else's here, though."

_Nice work there, Captain Obvious. You're worse than Apollo._

"Yeah, I was talking to myself," said Athena sarcastically.

DeGarde seemed to have no sense of it, however and turned to her. "You have split personality issues, young lady? It'd be best to take medication if that's the case."

"_Better if you learn to recognize some sarcasm, genius!" _commented Widget.

DeGarde took no notice of Widget and kept rambling on about Athena's supposed mental state, but Athena was not listening until…

"…wouldn't want you freaking out like that if there's another blackout here," she said, as though speaking to a child.

Athena ignored the jibe, instead focusing on another detail. "A blackout? There was a blackout here?"

The security guard nodded. "Yeah, a pretty long one. From around ten forty-five to noon, nearly an hour and fifteen minutes. I have a record of it rig—"

Athena jumped forward and got up close to her face, pulling her by the shoulders. "Can I get a look at it?"

The security guard reeled back, shocked slightly by Athena's energy. "Y-Yeah sure, but please don't do that again. I'll have to use force on you."

_And I'll have to throw you like that other guy…_

She handed Athena the paper detailing the power outage to the room. It simply noted that from around times the security guard had stated, there was no power to the hotel's main systems, such as the elevators and rooms, leaving out other unneeded information.

**Blackout Record added to Court Record.**

"Hey, Ms DeGarde?"

"Yeah? You aren't about to hand that paper back to me are you?"

Athena rolled her eyes, arms crossed over her chest in annoyance. "Of course not. I wanted to know if Ms Libidine stays in the room next door."

The security guard narrowed her eyes. "You can't ask that; it's against hotel policy. Besides, I wouldn't tell you anyway, since you're 'not of sound mind' to put it mildly. That'd be dangerous in-and-of-itself."

"Even to the defense attorney of the accused?" asked Athena, with a smirk.

DeGarde's eyes widened. "You're the defense of that murderer? I almost feel sorry for him."

Then, she laughed uproariously. "I'd wish him good luck with the evidence I gave to those detectives."

"W-What evidence?" asked Athena, losing all smugness.

"Can't tell you, little girl."

_I'll show you 'little girl', grandma._

She continued laughing, before finally turning around. "I guess I'll see you around, then, yellow."

_Hopefully not._

With that, she turned around and walked away, chuckling to herself. Quietly, she mumbled, "Gee, I_ wish_ for a girlfriend like that guy had…"

_His girlfriend__…__? She never said_ that… _but it doesn't sound wrong... __So I guess Ms Libidine must be staying in Room 1336 then?_

Athena continued looking through the room, not finding anything else of note. It seemed as though the police had taken everything else out of the room. She sighed, bringing a hand up to her face. It was nearly 4:15 PM and she'd barely found any evidence.

_I guess it's time to use this key._

She walked over to the closet and inserted the key, not surprised to find that it fit. She opened the closet and walked in, finding nothing suspicious on the coat hangers. Looking down, she noticed some clothes strewn across the floor.

…_Black pantyhose like Ms Libidine wore! Why would they be in here? Wait…I don't want to think about that…_

She pulled a few articles of clothing off the ground before discovering yet another set of black pantyhose at the bottom of the pile. It looked similar to the other one but had blood near the knees.

_Why would Ms Libidine get blood on the _knees_ of her pantyhose? It couldn't have come from _there._ Unless… she was kneeling on the blood?_

**Blood-stained Pantyhose added to Court Record.**

Quite proud of herself, Athena continued looking through the closet for any other evidence she could use. She quickly realized that she was just wasting her (already limited) time. She quickly turned on her foot and left the room itself, having found nothing more of note.

_Where else would I be able to find evidence…? Wait! Wasn't Franziska in the gym earlier this afternoon? Something seems strange about that. I'd better check it out._

Athena stepped into the elevator, once again suffering from the music, before jolting out in a hurry. She quickly grabbed a map of the hotel, which indicated that the gymnasium was on the ground floor, opposite the elevator. Using her amazing stamina, she ran past the receptionist, leaving him confused, to the gymnasium.

She went in the open door and stood there, looking around the large room, which smelled slightly of sweat.

_Hey! There're no detectives here! Thank goodness!_

"You there! You gonna stand there gawking or are you gonna help me move these damn weights?" a strained voice called out.

She looked over to her left to see a man at one of the weight training stations. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, dressed in camo with an employee tag naming him Jim Leeder. He was demonstrating lifting two hundred pounds on the bench press; a small crowd had gathered around him.

"M-Me? Why don't you get _them _to do it?" she said accusingly, pointing to the various other prospective lifters.

"'Cuz they're a bunch of sissies," said Leeder, glaring at the crowd, most of whom shrunk away. He pointed at one specifically, who turned beet-red. "Especially that one over there."

Athena shook her head, annoyed. "Fine…"

She walked over and helped him lift the bar, resting it on the stops. The man got up and scanned his small crowd with a glare, the veins popping out of his neck. "You see that? Even _she_ lifts better than you weaklings!"

The man who Leeder picked out before raising his voice and asked, "Y-you're supposed to teach us, not—"

Leeder positively had steam coming out of his ears. "_You_ were the one who asked for a demonstration, you twit, because you didn't believe my claim that I could lift two hundred pounds."

He pointed to a brown-haired woman in the group, which moved out of the way when she was selected. "You! Tell him how many I did."

"I-I counted and he did almost two sets of ten before needing to ask help," replied the woman nervously.

"Exactly! I like your style, private. Maybe we should get to know each other better," said Leeder, grinning in a manner he evidently thought handsome, though it looked more like a villainous leer. The brown-haired woman simply backed away with wide eyes.

_I don't even want to know what that would entail…_

"Anyways, I think we'd better allow our new member to introduce herself," said Leeder, pointing at Athena with a grin.

"Y-you don't understand; I'm not—" began Athena.

"Nonsense! I'll get you whipped up into shape in no time," said Leeder, shaking his head.

_From the way he puts it, it may actually _involve _a whip…_

"No, seriously, I'm not even _staying at his hotel_," explained Athena.

"Then what're you here for, Miss?" asked Leeder, confused, rubbing at his chin.

"I'm here to gather evidence on the murder that happened at this hotel," clarified Athena.

"Murder?" He asked, blinking stupidly. Then, he snapped his finger enthusiastically. "Oh yeah, you mean that redhead who came in this morning?"

"Yeah, him! Did you see anything strange happening, Mr Leeder?" asked Athena enthusiastically.

"Hell no I didn't…"

_No discord…_

"But why're you so darn curious about it, anyway? Also, call me sergeant, or else!" exclaimed Leeder, steaming.

"Because I'm the attorney for the guy who was accused," stated Athena simply.

"An attorney, huh? You look too young to be an attorney. You aren't lying to me, are you?" concluded Leeder, scrutinizing her.

In response, Athena flashed her badge at him, at which he narrowed his eyes. "You sure that ain't a forgery, young lady? I've seen guys trying to impress ladies with that."

_…But I'm not a guy! And I'm not trying to impress anyone!_

"You ain't trying to _impress me,_ now are ya?" he said, looking at her suggestively with a sly smile.

"_She wouldn't want to impress you with a hundred-mile stick!" _blurted Widget.

Leeder fixed her with a glare. Athena didn't reply, simply breaking out into a cold sweat and slumping to her left. Finally, she got tired of waiting and initiated a conversation. "I-I'm sorry…"

_"She's not!"_ exclaimed Widget.

"Shut up, you!" scolded Athena. "Anyways, I apologize for the rude comment from my little assistant here, but I need to know more about what happened."

"I'd tell you if I knew, private, but I was actually out until about 2:30 PM today. My daughter was sick," said Leeder.

_…Of course there's discord. I don't even _want_ to know what he was doing then…_

"Oh okay," replied Athena.

"That one back there's out of use," he said, gesturing to a far-away station, "but you're free to investigate! Just go!"

"B-but—" began Athena.

"No buts, private, or you won't have one. Now shoo!"

With that, he waved Athena away, turning and walking back into his office, leaving her to explore the gym by herself.

_Best thing I can do is ask around and hope for the best…_

Athena walked around to one of the other weight stations, which was being used by the woman whom Leeder had called on before. She was currently struggling to lift about one-hundred pounds. Weakly, she called out to Athena. "…Help…"

_Get it through your heads! I'm not your lifeline, people!_

Athena rolled her eyes and scoffed quietly before walking behind the station, though the occupant took no notice. She helped the woman pull the bar up to its normal position, allowing her to get up, her brown hair stuck to her red T-shirt by sweat. She panted for a few moments before turning around to face Athena, who was leaning on the bar.

"T-Thank you. My name is Mahina Bones," said the woman, breathing heavily and gazing upon Athena with her green eyes.

Athena smiled at her. "You're overexerting yourself, Ms Bones. You're trying too much and that's actually counterproductive."

"I-I know that," said Bones simply.

_"Clearly not!" _said Widget.

Athena simply turned him off after that.

"Ignore him. He says things randomly. It's not something I can control."

_Technically I can, but my mind is the uncensored version of Widget… It'd be better not to hear it._

"I see," said Bones, stretching out her arms. "I'm sorry for asking for help, but the thing is… I was born with a disease which makes my muscles very weak. Doctors say that I need stimulation and exercise to keep it as an appropriate level."

"Oh, that's bad. I was born with an ear condition that makes me very sensitive to noises," said Athena. She didn't need to go into specifics at that moment.

"So what did you need to talk about, Ms Cykes?" asked Bones.

"Hey, how do you know my name?"

"Well, I heard you talking to Mr Leeder," said Bones, scratching at her cheek. "And I want to say that he's right. He wasn't here when the victim came down."

"So what happened when the victim was here?" asked Athena curiously.

Bones rubbed at her chin. "Well, it looked like he did the same thing that I did. He tried to bench a weight he couldn't make and he fainted after it fell onto his chest. We didn't realize that he needed help for a few minutes, and by that time, he was already unconscious. Luckily, that guy was there to take him to his room."

"That guy?" asked Athena, leaning forward on the bar.

"Yeah. I think it was a room service guy who came in here. He helped the victim back to his room," finished Bones. "That's all I can say."

"Do you remember what he looked like?" asked Athena, her desperation unapparent in her voice.

_Please don't be him. Please don't be him. Please don't be him._

"I think he had brown hair with a small streak of lighter hair," said Bones, tapping at her chin.

_Of _course_ it had to be him…I'm going to have to speak with him tomorrow._

"Did you notice anything else strange other than the blackout?" asked Athena resignedly.

"Everyone else was working out normally and the janitor was cleaning up the floors of another area. So nothing else, really," said Bones.

"Thank you, Ms Bones! This'll come in handy!" said Athena, jumping up from the weights.

The next moment was a blur of pain as she hit a pull-up bar in her jump. Bones got up off her bench and, struggling for a few minutes, helped get Athena out of the back of the bench while she was dazed. Athena was simply able to reply with, "Thank you."

"No need! It was the least I could do after you helped me get that bar back up!" she replied, a grin on her face.

"I'd better get to investigating, though, it's really important. I think it'd be best for you to be in court tomorrow," said Athena.

"Don't worry, Ms Cykes! Ms von Karma asked me before when she came here to be a witness for the trial; she also went to get testimony from Mr Leeder about something for some reason," said Bones. "I don't think that anybody's touched that stand back there since Mr Abaddon left, so it might still have something."

"Thanks, Ms Bones. I'd better get to investigating now," said Athena.

_The first conversation that went any good today, besides Ms von Karma and Chief Gumshoe!_

With that, Athena walked forward to the indicated station, which was near the left end of the room. If it hadn't been touched, then it could provide accurate information as to what the victim was doing in his last minutes alive!

She examined the weights that the victim used, finding it to be…two-hundred fifty pounds!

_Why would he try to lift something this heavy?_

**Weights added to Court Record.**

She looked around the weights for anything else of note, but nothing else stood out to her. Suddenly, she noticed two small, white objects under the bench. Crouching low, she picked it up, to discover that the objects were two wireless earbuds. They looked quite antiquated.

_Who the hell uses these anymore? They came out like over a decade ago._

**Old Wireless Earphones added to Court Record.**

_But why were they underneath the bench? Who put them there? Wouldn't the victim have been wearing these?_

There was nothing else remaining there, so she thought to ask Jim Leeder if he had seen anything near that bench when he came back. His office was on the opposite side of the room. She walked across and knocked on the door.

There wasn't a reply.

She fiddled with the doorknob, discovering that it was unlocked. She quietly opened the door and went inside. The lights were turned off in the office, but it seemed that the bathroom lights were on and some sound was coming from within.

_Is he seriously using his phone in there?_

A grin plastered itself onto her face.

_Time to be really sneaky._

This was the only time she could easily gather evidence. She went through the papers sitting on the desk. They were mostly his finances, which said he spent tons of money on...dates. She felt something hard on the bottom of the papers.

Casting aside the papers on the desk, she found that a phone was sitting on the table. It was a deep, dark red, almost black, but not quite. She took it in her hand and turned it over to see the screen.

Upon pressing the power button, she saw that a playlist of music by the band ABBA was playing. Pressing the home button on the phone, she saw a picture of Abaddon and a completely unfamiliar woman, along with two kids who looked similar to him.

Something about Abaddon stood out. Specifically his T-shirt. It was grey with the Ivy University logo; a green leaf with I-V-Y spelled out over the top.

_Hmm… So I guess he studied in Ivy before leaving to Europe. That makes sense. Let's look at the rest of this._

She looked back at the unknown woman and kids. They all had smiles on their faces. She looked on his neck and found that there was a necklace strung on it that didn't appear in the hotel room. Both his and the woman's left hands had identical rings on them.

_Something here doesn't look right._

"I'm going to have to ask Franziska about this…I'm not feeling all too good now…" Athena said to herself, pocketing the phone.

**Phone added to Court Record.**

_SLAM!_

"Hell yeah, you shouldn't!" shouted a voice behind her.

Athena jumped ten feet into the air, spinning around to see an angry Leeder behind her. Slowly, she began to back away.

"I-I'm so sorry, Mr Leeder," apologized Athena.

This had no effect on Leeder, who cracked his knuckles. "You know what happens to curious cats, private?"

"…What's that?"

"They get killed," he said with a malevolent grin.

Athena's eyes widened. "P-please don't. I'll leave right now, sir!"

"Who said anything about leaving?" said Leeder threateningly.

Athena simply turned around and ran, hearing Leeder's footsteps stomping behind her.

"Get back here and fight, coward!" he called out.

Eventually, they started to quieten as they both ran out of the entrance. Athena ran as fast as she could until she finally reached a much safer area, in an alleyway near a coffee shop.

Thanks to her everlasting stamina, she was able to leave him in the dust.

_Phew. Not going back there today!_

Athena turned and walked out of the alleyway, careful to look left and right for any trace of Leeder.

She found none.

Turning Widget on once again, she discovered that the time was about 5 PM. She only had until 8 PM before the Prosecutor's Office closed and, unluckily for her, it was on the opposite side of the city.

_Now then, I'm going to have to make a trip to the Prosecutor's Office._

With that, she signaled a taxi and left the area.

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

_**Evidence:**_

_**Attorney's Badge:**_** This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Bloody Footprints:**_** A set of Bloody Footprints leading to the elevator that I found in the hallway outside the victim's room.**

_**Crime Scene Photos:**_** The victim is lying face-up on the right side of the bed, which has blood underneath the body. He appears to have been stabbed and strangled to death.**

_**Bloody Knife:**_** A bloody knife found stuck in the victim's chest.**

_**Scarf:**_** Scarf found tied around the victim's neck extremely tightly.**

_**Drawer:**_** An empty drawer in the victim's room. The police labeled it as evidence.**

_**Key:**_** A key to the closet in Mr Abaddon's room dropped by Ms Libidine.**

_**Blackout Record: **_**There was a blackout in this hotel from around 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM. The hotel's main systems, such as elevators and rooms lost power.**

**_Blood-stained Pantyhose: _One of Ms Libidine's pantyhose which were found in the closet with blood on its knees.**

_**Weights: **_**The victim attempted to lift 250 pounds prior to his death. He had an accident with this.**

_**Old Wireless Earphones: **_**A set of wireless earphones that came out over a decade ago. The logo isn't visible.**

_**Phone: **_**A phone which has a playlist of ABBA music and also what looks like a picture of the victim's family.**

_**Profiles:**_

_**Phoenix Wright (age 37):**_** An excellent defense attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model, but he isn't here right now.**

_**William Boye (age 39):**_** The head bellboy of the establishment, who was arrested for murder. He's my client.**

_**Alexander Abaddon (age 44):**_** An international prosecutor who was working with Franziska von Karma in an investigation. He was killed in his hotel room.**

_**Reggie Starr (age 46):**_ **The receptionist of the hotel who seems to hate my client for some reason.**

_**Franziska von Karma (age 29):**_** A famous international prosecutor from Germany, who aids Interpol in their investigations when they're out of their league.**

_**Dick Gumshoe (age 42):**_** A very large man who's the Chief of Police. He took over this investigation for some reason.**

_**Selene Libidine (age 38):**_** She is the victim, Alexander Abaddon's, colleague. She seems to be in a bad emotional state after his death. Could there be something going on between them?**

_**Jim Leeder (age 35):**_** He's the trainer for the Gatewater Imperial Hotel's gym. Very tough and irritable.**

_**Mahina Bones (age**_** 22): She's a woman I met who has a muscle disorder. She's nice and told me tons of important information.**


	13. The Hospitable Turnabout - Part 3

**Investigation - Day 1 - Part 3**

* * *

**November 18, 2029 5:52 PM**

**Prosecutor's Office**

* * *

If the hotel had been a gaudy display of opulence, then the Prosecutor's Office was an elegant example of sophistication. The sun was just setting, and the orange hues that refused to dip below the horizon instead caught the red and gold hues of the building's facade. The fountain that stood in front of it also glinted in the light.

Athena pushed through the revolving doors, immediately noticing a large wooden engraving of the prosecutor's badge on the wall. At the base of it was their motto in Latin: _de omnibus dubitandum_, meaning 'everything must be doubted.'

_Ugh… Latin. The one language I didn't think to study properly..._

During her oath as a defense attorney, she herself had been forced to recite another Latin phrase: _credo ut intelligam,_ meaning 'I believe so that I may understand'.

She moved past that, making her way to the receptionist's desk where a petite woman in a thick purple turtleneck sat, clacking away on her keyboard.

"Please state your name and business, Miss," she requested.

"Athena Cykes. I'm here to see Prosecutors Blackquill and von Karma."

"Wait just one moment. I have to check with them," said the receptionist.

She picked up her phone and dialed in the extension line for Blackquill. When he picked up, Athena heard what was a full fledged argument on the other side, with Franziska doing most of the shouting.

"There's an Athena Cykes here to see you and Ms von Karma, sir."

"Odd, I wasn't expecting her to be coming here. Let her through," Athena heard through the line. "Also inform her that von Karma-dono, Gavin-dono, and Edgeworth-dono are also in my office."

"Understood, sir," relented the receptionist, nodding. She cut the call and placed the phone back on its receiver. "Ms Cykes—"

"I know," said Athena quickly.

The receptionist thought for a moment and then chuckled. "Of course, you're the one that has that strange lie-detecting ability, right? I've heard about it from some of the other prosecutors."

_Strange? More like cool!_

"Care to provide a demonstration?" asked the receptionist, pushing her pince-nez up her nose. "The Prosecutor's Office _is_ open until eight, after all…"

_Anything for my already fragile pride!_

Athena nodded and then grinned, flashing a peace sign. "Sure, but I need a lie to detect first."

"Oh…" said the receptionist, tapping at her chin. "Let me see now…"

She nodded. "I make a load of money from this job…"

_Yep…discord._

"That was a lie." Athena pointed out.

"It was! I barely make thirty grand a year," complained the receptionist.

"_Tell me about it!_" exclaimed Widget.

"What was that?" asked the receptionist, looking around for the source of the noise.

"Widget, my therapeutic robot. He's also a sarcastic piece of work," said Athena, gesturing to the device.

"_No, I'm not!_" replied Widget.

"Yes, you are. Now shut up. Can't you see I'm trying to speak here? Anyways, he sort of blurts out what I'm thinking."

The receptionist nodded, smiling. "Thank you, Ms Cykes, I'm impressed."

_You're the first other than Junie, lady!_

"Now then, I'm guessing that you have to go see Prosecutors Blackquill and von Karma, if I'm correct," said the receptionist.

"Yeah, thanks, Miss…"

"Fright…Hannah Fright. Pleased to meet you, Ms Cykes," she said, nodding.

Athena finally tore herself away from the receptionist's booth and walked through the golden doors of the elevator to take her to Blackquill's office on the tenth floor. The elevators here didn't play any of the obnoxious music the hotel did, instead choosing silence.

_Figures! Prosecutors always get the best things._

On the second floor, the doors opened and two people — a man in what looked to be an orchestra conductor's getup with wiry brown hair and a woman in pink, with an impossibly long blue scarf around her neck and a massive key shoved into her hair — walked into the elevator, deep in discussion.

"Hey, Seb, you wanna go bully Simon now? They're probably having their tea or something _'cultured'_ as they call it."

"'Kay, Kay, but what do we bully him about now?" asked the man named Seb.

"You _know _what I'm talking about!"

There was a faint rustling of fabric from behind Athena.

"Owowow! Stop that or I'll tell Mr Edgeworth on you!"

"No fair. You're being a snitch!"

"Because you're being a—oh we're on the tenth floor," said Seb, noticing the elevator doors opening.

"That still doesn't excuse you from being a snitch, Seb," whispered Kay as the two walked out with Athena quickly taking the lead.

Athena, by this point, was sweating buckets. She exited and directed herself to Blackquill's door — 1007, which was decorated with his unique choice of decoration: black door with three white strips near the middle on each side. As she approached the door, she heard the fierce argument continuing inside.

"Once more, how _dare_ you use the term _Fräulein_ with me, you false German? The appropriate term is _Frau_. I am _not _your maidservant, you complete _fool_!" screamed Franziska, clearly peeved.

Klavier Gavin attempted to explain. "I-I apologize, _Frau_ von Karma. I was not aware of the connota—"

"Next time you use a language such as German, at least make some attempt to learn the meaning of the phrases you choose to utter!" finished Franziska, finally starting to calm down.

"Franziska, calm down! You've already ripped out the muscle, please leave the bones!" exclaimed Edgeworth.

Finally, in a better mood, Franziska asked, "Very well, Piano Gavin, what are you here for?"

"I-I-I simply came to ask Herr Edgeworth if there were any cases I could attend to. I didn't mean to offend you with a simple greeting," explained Klavier quickly.

"Also, could you _please_ not call me 'Piano,' thanks, ja?" pleaded Klavier.

Edgeworth spoke up, interrupting Franziska's — most likely heated — response. "Mr Gavin, if you want a case, it would be best to discuss it up in my office."

He got up, but Athena could not see what he was doing. "I bid you adieu, Mr Blackquill, Franziska. Come with me, Mr Gavin."

She then heard steps coming toward the door and quickly took herself out of the way. The door opened, revealing Miles Edgeworth, standing in his full burgundy attire. He walked out of the office, his gaze shifting to Athena.

"Ah, Ms Cykes. We were expecting you. What took you so long?" asked Edgeworth, a small smile on his face.

"I went to the bathroom!" Athena replied quickly.

"_No, she didn't!_" interjected Widget.

Edgeworth fixed her with a glare, pushing up his glasses. "Really, now, Ms Cykes. You should think better than to lie to a prosecutor — especially the Chief Prosecutor."

"Fine, I heard the argument between Mr Gavin and Ms von Karma." asked Athena. Then she giggled, remembering what Franziska called Klavier.

"Something funny, _Frau_ Cykes?" said Klavier, annoyed.

_He's calling me _Frau _now, heh. I guess Franziska yelling can do a number on you…_

"N-Nothing," said Athena unconvincingly, giggling harder due to Klavier's frustration.

"What you just saw, Ms Cykes, was just another tea party between the more _cultured_ members of the Prosecutor's office," said Edgeworth, a small, humored smile forming on his face. "This time with my sister also being invited."

"You guys work on weekends?!"

Edgeworth pushed up his glasses, his usual strict gaze back on his face. "Of course. The truth takes no breaks for anyone or thing, even a holiday as respected as Thanksgiving."

_Talk about having no life..._

He looked above her, noticing the two behind Athena were having a ferocious whispered argument.

"Kay! Sebastian! I demand you cease your quarrel this instant!" shouted Edgeworth, shocking the two.

"But he started it, Mr Edgeworth!" shouted Kay.

"She's—she's lying!" whined Sebastian desperately.

Edgeworth shook his head exasperatedly. "Everytime I find you two together...it is always some tedious tiff or ludicrous argument. To say nothing of your banter..."

"It's bad enough we're roommates, Mr Edgeworth," Kay explained, "But you keep assigning me to him all the time!"

"Because you have a very successful conviction rate when you work as a team, you know that very well," Edgeworth explained. "Which reminds me...why are you on this floor when you've a case to be handling?"

"We wanted to see Simon before _Sebastian_ here decided to be a total blockhead."

Sebastian rolled his eyes.

"…Well, be quick about it," Edgeworth said.

"Ja, a good prosecutor always gets his rest," compounded the ever-flamboyant Klavier. "It's a rule you should be familiar with, Herr Dirigent. You too, _Frau _Crow."

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," said Kay, frowning. Then, she grinned before adding, "We promise we'll make it '_quick_,' _right, _Seb?"

She poked him in the ribs, winking. Startled, he answered, "Yes, of course. Whatever she said!"

Edgeworth shook his head and walked to the elevator with Gavin behind him.

Athena, Kay, and Sebastian all walked into Blackquill's room together.

The first thing they saw was Taka's perch, kept on the right-hand corner of the black walls, on which the bird was currently snoozing. Athena could see by the dim lights, but the blinds on the window were shut, creating a comfortable darkness in the room. Through it, she saw the katana was placed below the window on a wooden plinth as the three walked to where Blackquill was.

Blackquill and Franziska were sitting on the red armchairs in the center of the room, still sipping away on their tea. Blackquill gestured to a cushion, his eyes closed, not even looking at her, which Athena understood to be a request to sit. Athena moved over and sat on the cushion, which faced forward between the prosecutors.

"Welcome, Athena, Kay, Sebastian. Would you like some tea and biscuits?" asked Blackquill, eyes still closed.

"What gives, Simon?!" complained Kay. "There's only four sofas here! We don't have enough."

"Slipped my mind, I daresay. I guess you'll have to share seats. Also, wouldn't it be best if you two work out the little sibling spat you had earlier?" teased Blackquill, smirking.

Kay scoffed, eyes closed, and both of them walked to the seat opposite Athena. Luckily, both of them were small enough to fit in the armchair. "And I thought we were friends."

Blackquill's smug smile simply grew.

"Now, then, as I said before, would you like biscuits and tea?" asked Blackquill.

Athena, who hadn't eaten a crumb of food in the past eight hours, graciously accepted. "Thank you! I'm starving!"

Blackquill filled a small cup with tea and handed it to Athena, who took it and drank. He did the same for Kay and Sebastian, who both accepted their drink.

Athena's tongue stuck out. "Could I have some sugar?"

Blackquill didn't reply, simply gesturing to the sugar.

_I haven't seen him this at peace in a long time. Could there be something in this drink? Nah, can't be…_

"He said your name was Athena, right?" asked Kay curiously after some minutes had passed.

Athena, with a biscuit still in her mouth, replied, "Yup!"

Blackquill looked at her sternly. "Athena! What have I told you about table manners? Do you wish to embarrass yourself in front of complete strangers?"

Athena looked down. "Sorry, Simon."

"Though I can't blame you, considering Kay does the same thing at times," said Blackquill smugly.

"Hey! That wasn't fair, Simon!" exclaimed Kay, blushing.

Blackquill simply pressed on. "Athena, this energetic woman is Kay Faraday, detective at the local precinct and...self-proclaimed Great Thief Yatagarasu."

"Semi-retired thief; I'm still looking for my squad of cute girls," Kay said with a giggle, playfully shoving Sebastian to the side. She thrust her hand forward, and Athena shook it. "Pleased to meet'cha!"

Athena grinned. "Same!"

Blackquill gestured to Sebastian. "This one, on the other hand, is a pure bundle of nerves. That said, he happens to be one of our finest prosecutors."

"Yup! I've helped Mr Edgeworth on many instrumentations— sorry, investigations — over the years," Sebastian commented, fidgeting with the baton in his hands. "Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. Sebastian Debeste. I'm pleased to make your accomplice— sorry, acquaintance, Ms Cykes."

Franziska, with a small smile, quietly began, "Sebastian Debeste, Kay Faraday…Do both of you not have a case tomorrow, as my little brother stated?""

Kay waved her off. "Oh yeah, but we're pretty much all set. We wanted to talk to Simon!"

Franziska's smile faded off her face, replaced by a frown. "I…see."

"What do you want to argue about now?" asked Blackquill, sighing.

"The usual 'Samurai versus Ninja' debate!" Kay announced. "I come with proof that ninja are better!"

Blackquill smirked. "Do you now? Enlighten me."

Kay thrust her phone in his face. "Take that, Simon!"

It was a ten-minute video made over a decade ago on the Sengoku Jidai period of Japanese history, commenting on the contrasting ways of the samurai and ninja, revealing the former's various betrayals and the latter's undying loyalty.

"See, Simon? What do you have to say for yourself now?" Kay smugly questioned, her hand attempting to cover her snickering.

"…You have barely allowed me three seconds to process this information, first of all. And second, if you think I have not conducted extensive research into the samurai, then you've got another thing coming. That was simply an all-to-concise summary made _over a decade ago_."

"C'mon! It's proof, right?" complained Kay.

Blackquill shook his head. "Hardly. Come back to me when you've produced a better argument beyond some amateur yapping on about their biased interpretations of events in that era."

Kay stuck her tongue out in response. "Alright then!"

With that, Sebastian stood up and dusted himself off, walking over to where Kay was standing. "I think it's time to go, Kay… Almost 7:20, you know. Let's review the evidence one more time and then we can go home and see to the cats."

They were halfway to the door when Kay turned around, excitedly taking in the scene before them.

"But hey, don't you wanna know what they're gonna talk about? I wanna listen!"

"…_Kay_…" said Sebastian, sighing in defeat, face in his palm.

Blackquill simply whistled.

Kay was confused for a second before she heard the fluttering of feathers and felt a painful peck against her head. Looking around, she saw a bird striped feathers and a scarf.

Blackquill had set Taka on her!

She and Sebastian both ran off quickly, with Kay taking the lead, before Blackquill called Taka off and he returned to his perch.

"What you have just witnessed, Athena, is just a typical evening at the Prosecutor's Office," said Blackquill, unable to keep the mirth out of his voice.

_I wonder how anyone gets any work done in here..._

He then returned to his seat and asked, "So, as I have neglected to ask, what brings you here?"

Athena had almost forgotten the reason she'd came there. She sat up in the armchair. "I-I wanted to ask you a question."

"Do go on," said Blackquill, curious.

"Ms von Karma, what were you and Mr Abaddon doing here?" asked Athena. That wasn't the first question she had come to ask, but it was the only one that she had right now. Her curiosity had been piqued ever since Blackquill had mentioned her back in August. This, along with those "Purple Flames" that he had talked about, was something she was ready to get answers to.

At this, Franziska simply sighed. "Alexander Abaddon and I were here to investigate the Purple Flames — more commonly known as the Flames. I thought it best to meet with Simon Blackquill because we once investigated a case related to them."

_That's interesting…there's some happiness there and it isn't related to the case._

Spotting a chance to kill two birds with one stone, Athena asked, "So, the Purple Flames. Could someone explain to me what exactly they are again?"

Blackquill simply shook his head, a smirk on his lips. "I see that whatever I say simply goes into one ear and out the other."

"Oh, so she possesses the same skills as Phoenix Wright, does she?" asked Franziska. "He always had a knack for being inattentive."

Blackquill smirked once more. "You're informing _me_ of all people."

"_But that's nothing compared to Apollo!"_ said Widget.

At that, Blackquill began laughing. "That device around your neck speaks the truth, Athena! Justice-dono breaks out sweating within ten seconds of any given trial. Five, if I'm the prosecutor."

Athena scratched at the back of her head with a small, slightly embarrassed smile in reply.

Franziska smirked. "I'd be willing to wager that Phoenix Wright breaks out sweating in four seconds of any given trial, Simon Blackquill. Two, if _I'm_ prosecuting."

"Do you truly believe me to be that daft, von Karma-dono? I wouldn't be willing to lose my money on something we already know to be true," replied Blackquill, laughing uncontrollably.

Athena laughed at this, but she was confused as to how her question had gotten them into a session of lambasting Apollo — which was her job, by the way — and Phoenix.

"Even this _spring chick _has handled my prosecuting better than those two," raved Blackquill, pointing at Athena, who turned pink.

"Hey! I'm not a spring chick!" exclaimed Athena, blushing from embarrassment.

They both ignored her before Franziska finally spoke up, "We shall see about _that_ tomorrow. Now, onto your question on the Flames.

"They are an arms gang which I have been attempting to track down for nearly the past decade. I have managed to trace down some of their arms dealings and have added these to Simon Blackquill's original records. Thanks to his imprisonment, I was unable to make much further progress on the matter," she said bitterly.

Blackquill continued the conversation. "Although _we_ have been attempting to finish them off, this Arms Gang has somehow managed to avoid capture for nearly a century in this country."

"According to my investigations, this arms gang is an offshoot of a former Japanese syndicate that collapsed. I believe their name was the _Murahono_. Their base was in Nagasaki around 1945, therefore…" Franziska faltered and shook her head, leaving the rest to the imagination.

"So how big are they, as a gang, I mean?" asked Athena.

Franziska went on. "They are a huge organization, Athena Cykes. With the Interpol's aid in claiming jurisdiction over their case, I have taken my investigations worldwide.

"In recent years I've been primarily focused on Borginia and Cohdopia's corrupt and autocratic governments. It appears they purchased illegal arms from the Flames over consecutive decades, intended to fund their little regional war games, from the 1970s when General Quercus Alba of Cohdopia — who later ran a smuggling ring which Miles Edgeworth and I took down a decade ago — invaded Borginia and annexed territory in the north to as recently as the Cohdopian Civil War in the 2010s."

Blackquill continued for her. "She has also recently looked into the regime in the Kingdom of Khura'in where Justice-dono is staying."

"And?"

"It seems that the weapons which Queen Ga'ran's regime used were unmarked; a clear indication that they were illicitly produced," answered Franziska.

"Why hasn't anyone tried to stop them yet?!" asked Athena, exasperated.

Blackquill and Franziska looked uncomfortably at each other before looking back at Athena.

Franziska responded, "Well, we have been looking into it and have found that the gang has political connections. Simon Blackquill and I have mostly kept our investigation between ourselves. I asked my little brother not to get involved and, to his credit, he didn't."

"Does he—?"

"You don't know the half of it. When Miles Edgeworth wants to get involved in something, he will not cease until he arrives at his precious truth," said Franziska, sighing.

Blackquill's closed his eyes. "You're very lucky he hasn't. He's the Chief Prosecutor, von Karma-dono. If you weren't his sister, he'd probably already have taken the case away from you. Something of this magnitude would fall within his powers. He's putting his job in jeopardy in order to let you investigate in this manner."

"I know, Simon Blackquill, I know…" said Franziska quietly, slumping back into her chair. "I'm putting too much of my pride into this investigation."

"If you knew that, then you wouldn't keep insulting him for attempting to do his job…" commented Blackquill.

"Do you have _any_ leads for it? Anything at all?"

"Well, we know that the Atishon family has something to do with it."

Athena's eyes widened at the name. "Th-the Atishons?! You mean that creepy politician who blackmailed Mr Wright last year?!"

Franziska nodded. "Yes. Not him specifically, but his family. We do not have hard proof other than a few names and hearsays, but there is enough to suspect the family."

"So, what are we going to do about it?" asked Athena.

Blackquill sent her a glare. "_We?_ Absolutely _not_, Athena. I cannot allow you into this investigation."

"What, why not?!" shouted Athena.

"I promised my mentor that I would protect her dearest treasure with my life. I may be ready to do it all over again, but let's not let it come to that, shall we?" said Blackquill simply. "This investigation is very dangerous and, if caught, we have no idea what they will do to us."

"Then why did you tell me all this?!" demanded Athena, her teeth gritted. "You _know_ that I'm going to want to get involved now that I know what's going on!"

Blackquill simply shook his head, a small frown on his lips. "We only answered what you requested of us, Athena. We never explicitly stated that we would permit you to investigate."

_Damn lawyers and their stupid loopholes! Wait a second... _I'm_ a lawyer…_

"_She just insulted herself!"_ chirped Widget.

"Widget…please stop…" said Athena, sweating as she leaned forward.

Blackquill, a small, amused smile on his face, said, "Anyways, that ends _that_ dialogue. Anything else, Athena? You'd better speak with speed, because—"

Athena rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. Ms von Karma and I have a case tomorrow."

"I'll have no cheek from you, missy," said Blackquill, raising his eyebrows under his mop of hair.

"Sorry…" apologized Athena automatically. "Anyways, I have one more question for you, Ms von Karma."

"And that is?"

"You know Mr Abaddon, right?" asked Athena.

Franziska looked slightly confused, her brow raised. "Yes, what about him?"

"I have a few questions about him."

"Do go on…"

"Well, first, I heard that he used to live here…" lied Athena, hoping that neither of them caught on. "Is that true?"

"Yes, quite. He was born and raised here, and attended Ivy University to pursue a degree in law. As soon as his education finished in about 2010, he moved to Germany, where he's been living ever since," explained Franziska.

"Ivy University…" commented Blackquill, a small, reminiscent smile on his face. "Inexpensive, but fine education for both law and the sciences. And I know that from personal experience. "

"I personally went to—" began Franziska.

"I have another question about him…" Athena interrupted hesitantly. She looked both ways to ensure they weren't overheard, though she knew they were alone. "Does he have a family?"

"I do not know them quite well, but last time I checked, he had a wife and two children," Franziska slowly said.

Athena's stomach dropped; she felt disgusted.

"…When was the last time you checked?" asked Athena, looking Franziska in the eye, her voice slightly sullen.

Franziska looked at her strangely. "About a year ago, though I do not actively keep myself informed of such personal matters…Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to know," said Athena, though her blood was boiling.

_How _dare_ he? How dare _she_? They…those…I can't even describe how much I hate them right now._

"...So they didn't get divorced, right?" asked Athena. It was a blank question to which she suspected she knew the answer.

"With a prosecutor as famous as him, a divorce would be the first thing in the news. I haven't heard any such things," said Franziska, shaking her head.

"What about Ms Libidine? Does she work with him?" asked Athena quickly.

Franziska raised an eyebrow. "Yes, although Selene Libidine isn't the best prosecutor available, I understand that they are colleagues and good friends."

"Do you...suspect that there's anything going on between them?" asked Athena.

"No…but why are you asking me all this?" asked Franziska curiously.

"I can't say," said Athena simply.

…_I don't know anything else I can ask without looking suspicious. I think I'd better go before I accidentally say something which'll hurt my case. I can barely think right now…_

Franziska raised an eyebrow and coolly said, "I see…"

"I think I'd better go now. I'm starting to get tired," said Athena, faking a loud yawn.

Blackquill nodded his head. "Very well. I guess we shall see you, then, Athena. We still have a few things left to discu—"

The door swung open and Chief Gumshoe ran into the room, waving a piece of paper in his hands.

"_Ms von Karma!_ I got the results of that test you wanted on the victim. Here, this is all for you," said Gumshoe, frantically waving the many papers in his hands.

Only then did he notice how quiet the room was. Athena, Blackquill, and Franziska were all looking at him—Athena with wide eyes and both Blackquill and Franziska with glares.

"Oh, sorry about that, sirs," said Gumshoe, quiet as he walked over to Franziska, who stood up to receive the papers.

"Thank you for this, Scruffy," said Franziska, an appreciative tone in her voice. "You can go ahead and leave now."

"Okay, I'll see you in court tomorrow! Have a nice evening, sirs!"

As soon as Gumshoe left, Franziska sat back down in her armchair and began reading through the papers silently. On the second page of the evidence, her eyes widened. "Simon Blackquill, I think you'd better look at this."

"…What?" asked Athena as Blackquill quickly walked past her to sit near Franziska, who handed him the evidence.

He took one look down at the document and his eyes widened.

"…What is it, Simon?" asked Athena curiously.

"Athena, you said you needed to leave now, correct...?"

"Yes, but what—"

"It's...nothing to concern yourself with," Blackquill said, thumbing the pages.

_Discord… _

Athena frowned."Wh-Why are you panicking, Simon?"

"I said _nothing_, Athena…" said Blackquill, though it was clear that there _was_ something.

"Simon,_ please…_" begged Athena. "Tell me what happened."

Blackquill shook his head and directed her to the door. "It would be best if you left now. It's nearing quarter to eight and as I said, we've a few things left to discuss amongst ourselves."

Athena remained silent, brooding for a few seconds.

_They think that I'm a little girl; that I'm too stupid to handle whatever that is._

She brought her face back up, glaring at both Blackquill and Franziska, who looked on silently.

"…Okay," said Athena coolly. "I can see when I'm not wanted."

Blackquill rose from his seat. "It's not tha—"

"Then what _is_ it, Simon?" asked Athena angrily.

Blackquill and Franziska said nothing, their lips pursed into thin lines.

"Fine, I'm leaving!" shouted Athena. She was done with both of them.

She quickly walked to the door and left, slamming it shut before either Blackquill or Franziska could reply. She was angry at them both. First, they wouldn't let her join their investigation and now they were treating her like some criminal. She was sick of everything _and_ everyone right now.

The victim, that woman, Blackquill, Franziska. She wanted to punch every one of them.

_What if you _are_ just a little girl? They're just treating you how you need to be treated…_

_No, I am _not_ a little girl!_

_But what if you are, Athena Cykes? _

_You stood by and did _nothing_ as an innocent man was condemned to his death._

_...What if you _are_ just a little girl?_

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

_**Attorney's Badge:**_** This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Bloody Footprints:**_** A set of Bloody Footprints leading to the elevator that I found in the hallway outside the victim's room.**

_**Crime Scene Photos:**_** The victim is lying face-up on the right side of the bed, which has blood underneath the body. He appears to have been stabbed and strangled to death.**

_**Bloody Knife:**_** A bloody knife found stuck in the victim's chest.**

_**Scarf:**_** Scarf found tied around the victim's neck extremely tightly.**

_**Drawer:**_** An empty drawer in the victim's room. The police labeled it as evidence.**

_**Key:**_** A key to the closet in Mr Abaddon's room dropped by Ms Libidine.**

_**Blackout Record: **_**There was a blackout in this hotel from around 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM. The hotel's main systems, such as elevators and rooms lost power.**

_**Blood-stained Pantyhose: **_**One of Ms Libidine's pantyhouse which were found in the closet with blood on its knees.**

_**Weights: **_**The victim attempted to lift 250 pounds prior to his death. He had an accident with this.**

_**Old Wireless Earphones: **_**A set of wireless earphones that came out over a decade ago. The logo isn't visible.**

_**Phone: **_**A phone which has a playlist of ABBA music and also what looks like a picture of the victim's family.**

**Profiles:**

_**Phoenix Wright (age 37):**_** An excellent defense attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model, but he isn't here right now.**

_**William Boye (age 39):**_** The head bellboy of the establishment, who was arrested for murder. He's my client.**

_**Alexander Abaddon (age 44):**_** An international prosecutor who was working with Franziska von Karma in an investigation. He was killed in his hotel room.**

_**Reggie Starr (age 46):**_ **The receptionist of the hotel who seems to hate my client for some reason.**

_**Franziska von Karma (age 29):**_** A famous international prosecutor from Germany, who aids Interpol in their investigations when they're out of their league.**

_**Dick Gumshoe (age 42):**_** A very large man who's the Chief of Police. He took over this investigation for some reason.**

_**Selene Libidine (age 38): **_**She is the victim, Alexander Abaddon's, colleague. She seems to be in a bad emotional state after his death. Could there be something going on between them?**

_**Jim Leeder (age 35):**_** He's the trainer for the Gatewater Imperial Hotel's gym. Very tough and irritable.**

_**Mahina Bones (age**_** 22): She's a woman I met who has a muscle disorder. She's nice and told me tons of important information.**


	14. The Hospitable Turnabout - Part 4

**Trial - Day 1 - Part 1**

* * *

**November 19, 2029 9:46 AM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby No. 7**

* * *

Thankfully, Athena had managed to calm down slightly from her irritation the previous day via a good night's sleep. Reading through her notes and examining the evidence lists in the cab ride downtown had also helped to center her and bring her back to focus.

She was all set and raring to go. Just a few more minutes now.

The same, however, could not be said for her client. Immediately upon entering the lobby, she spotted him reclining on the red sofa by the double doors. His eyes were closed and his breathing deep and slow; fast asleep.

_Poor guy…The__ police probably kept him up all night._

She walked close to him and tapped roughly on his left shoulder. He snapped up, and immediately set about straightening his bellboy uniform and picking up the silver tray at his feet.

Then, noticing her, he let out a ragged breath.

"…I'm extremely tired, you know!"

Athena smiled sympathetically. "I can see that. I'm guessing that you're not used to sleeping in prisons?"

"I almost always go home to my already-made and comfortably warm bed, so no, Ms Cykes," said Boye, still glaring at her, "I don't think I am."

"A friend of mine could provide you a few pointers on that," joked Athena.

"…Are you insinuating that I will go to prison, Ms Cykes?" asked Boye, his eyes slightly wide. He began to rotate the tray in his hand.

_Not one to take jokes, I see…_

Athena rolled her eyes. "Of course not. I assure you, Mr Boye, I'll prove your innocence, but first, I have a few questions."

Boye tilted his head, signaling to her to go on.

"Do you promise to answer me honestly? Because I can't defend you if you lie, alright?" asked Athena.

"Alright."

"Do you have any beef with the receptionist?"

Boye let out a small laugh. "That boorish imbecile, Reggie Starr? Of course I do! It's _absolutely _common knowledge that we hate each other. It's been like that ever since I was promoted."

"…Why?"

Boye rubbed at his cheek, looking up. "No idea. It was subtle at first, but eventually, he started becoming more openly cynical towards me. Maybe he was jealous...?"

"Secondly, this pen—" Athena pulled the pen up on Widget. "Does it belong to anyone in particular? It says Gatewater on it."

"Hmm… That looks like an employee's pen. Every employee is handed a free pen at the start of their tenure as a welcome gift. They're encouraged to keep it on their person, both as a decorative item and in the case of necessity. Unfortunately, I gave mine to that French woman in the morning; she needed to write something down."

"French woman?"

"Yes, I don't quite remember her name. She was staying next to the victim…"

Athena typed that into Widget.

**Boye's Testimony added to Court Record**

"Thank you. One final thing."

"And that is?"

"What were you doing in the gym on the day of the murder?"

"I wa—"

At that moment, the bailiff cleared his throat. "The trial will begin shortly. Will the defendant and his lawyer please make their way to the courtroom?"

_Damn it! I should have show__n__ up earlier! This is what I get for taking a case during a break…_

"Fine…" said Athena, gritting her teeth. She looked at Boye, her mouth opening, but nothing coming out. Then, she shut it and nodded resolutely.

With that, both of them walked into the courtroom.

* * *

**November 19, 10:00 AM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 3**

* * *

Athena watched with a glare as Franziska walked into the courtroom, reading over a few documents prior to the trial. The Judge appeared from his chambers shortly after, sitting on his usual seat and giving a once-over over his courtroom. He'd been that way since the Starbuck case: making sure to take more precautions prior to the start of a trial.

"Before we start proceedings today, I'd like to bring to the court's attention that this case is being treated as an international matter. The victim was a German citizen as well as an international lawyer, so I ask that both sides remain professional at all times," he said.

_Huh_..._Nobody told me that! _

Then he cleared his throat and his features softened slightly. "Now then, is the defense ready?"

"Your Honor…" said Athena, glancing to her left.

She took in a large breath.

_No going back._

The Judge looked at her, an eyebrow raised and a small frown on his lips. "Ms Cykes?"

Letting go of the breath, she looked up at him. "The defense is ready!"

The Judge nodded, turning his gaze to Franziska. "And the prosecution?"

Franziska, her eyes closed, removed her blue overcoat, revealing a silken white blouse, with a lace ascot held in place by a brooch.

_That whole outfit probably costs more than my salary..._

"...While this case was quite unprecedented, I sincerely hope that the defense is ready for this case because as I said before…"

She tossed her coat aside, fixing her glasses up her nose. She opened her eyes, turning her gaze to Athena with a small smile. "I will not be holding back."

"_Show-off!_" commented Widget.

Athena smiled in determination, punching her fist into her palm. "Let's do this!"

"I see both sides are quite energetic today!" noted the Judge with a hearty laugh. Then, he cleared his throat. "Will the prosecution please deliver their opening statement?"

Franziska commenced. "As many know, Alexander Abaddon was an international prosecutor assigned with the task of helping me in an Interpol investigation, the details of which cannot be entirely disclosed to the public."

The screen showed the picture of the victim—a man with crimson hair and a piercingly blue glare. The smile — more like a devious sneer — on his face disgusted Athena more than it should have.

"Tragically, he was killed while staying in the Gatewater Imperial Hotel. The accused, Mr William Boye, strangled the victim to death using this scarf."

She gestured to the screen, which showed a blue scarf.

"He then proceeded to stab him, using this knife."

The screen showed a picture of the bloody knife, with the Gatewater logo engraved on the handle.

"The motive for this murder…" said Franziska.

She paused for slight dramatic effect. "Burglary. According to various stock market readings, the Gatewater Corporation's stocks have been dropping and their revenues decreasing. This has led to a surprising amount of penny-pinching within the hotel chain. In order to maintain their pristine image of opulence, they were forced to skim money off of their employees' checks.

"Thus the prosecution thereby accuses Mr William Boye of the premeditated murder of Alexander Abaddon and larceny of his property."

Franziska performed a small curtsy at the end. "That is all."

_...Yup, definitely a show-off._

"Does the defense have any comments?" asked the Judge, looking at Athena.

_Other than 'declare my client not guilty'?_

She shook her head. "No, your Honor!"

"Very well. Ms von Karma, please call your first witness," said the Judge, gesturing for her to continue.

"Prior to that, I have an announcement to make. The prosecution still has yet to finish analyzing the security footage. It seems that they were encrypted quite well. We will get them in due time…"

"I see, Ms von Karma."

"The prosecution calls the Chief of Police to the stand," said Franziska, extending her arm.

"The Chief of Police? Doesn't the Chief have more important duties?" asked the Judge, turning his gaze to Franziska, running a hand through his beard.

"Customarily yes, but this is quite an important trial..."

"I see. Bailiff, please allow Chief Gumshoe in to testify," ordered the Judge.

The doors of the courtroom opened to reveal the scruffy-faced Chief of Police. He walked with a confident smile up to the witness stand, his green trench coat fluttering in his wake.

Gumshoe took in his surroundings, looking to his left and right. "Oh boy… I haven't been here in a long time."

"Name and occupation, if you please!" exclaimed Franziska.

Gumshoe nodded quickly. "Yes, ma'am! My name is Dick Gumshoe and I'm the Chief of Police."

"Thank you, Detective."

"H-Hey, I'm the _Chief of Pol_—"

Franziska sighed. "I understand your position, Scruffy, but wouldn't it be easier to refer to you as the detective?"

"Y-yeah, fine. You can call me Detective, sirs…" said Gumshoe, looking down. Quickly, he mumbled, "What I wouldn't do to get some respect around here…"

_Poor Detective Gymshoe..._

"Now then, please provide a brief summary of the incident."

* * *

Witness Testimony

-The Crime Scene-

1) Around 12:15 PM yesterday, we received a call reporting a murder.

2) Once we secured the crime scene, the lab guys came in to take pictures.

3) The victim was lying face-up on the bed. He was strangled to death as seen in this _Autopsy Report_.

4) He was also stabbed, but that was only after he had died.

5) After that, when we searched the drawer, we found that some of the victim's belongings were missing.

* * *

_No contradictions yet…I'll have to press for that…_

"Very well stated, Detective," commented the Judge.

"Much more well-rehearsed than his usual testimonies…" teased Franziska, smirking.

"C'mon, pal! I have to make an impression, don't I?" complained Gumshoe, waving his arms comically in the air. "Especially for the kids! What'll they think of the Chief of Police if he gives a horrible speech?"

Gumshoe then looked down. "I'm already an embarrassment because of the Dark Age of the Law and that Phantom…"

"I joke, Scruffy, I joke!" exclaimed Franziska, before Gumshoe looked more like a puppy.

Turning his gaze to Athena, he asked, "Ms Cykes, would you care to begin your cross-examination?"

"_Wait!_ I need to give you the autopsy report, remember?" said Gumshoe, taking two yellow folders out of his trench coat.

Turning to the bailiff, he ordered, "Give this one to the Judge, pal! And this one to Ms Cykes."

The bailiff saluted him. "Yes, sir!"

**Autopsy Report added to Court Record**

_Let's see here… strangled using the scarf…stabbed in the heart through the back and front…_

"Now, can you please begin your cross-examination, Ms Cykes?" asked the Judge.

"Yes, Your Honor," said Athena, nodding.

Cross-Examination

-The Crime Scene-

1) Around 12:15 PM yesterday, we received a call reporting a murder.

_**Hold It!**_

Athena leaned forward slightly. "Who gave you the call?"

"We don't know exactly, pal…" said Gumshoe, scratching at the back of his head. "It was a woman, but I'm not exactly sure who it was."

"A woman?"

He thought for a moment, his eyebrows moving left and right. "It might have been one of the witnesses…"

"What did she say?" asked Athena.

"Basically, she said that the guy was dead — she was pretty emotional, too — so I guess they were close…"

_It must've been _her…

"Did she say anything else?"

"To be frank, pal, I'm not sure what else she said. I'm not the one who takes those calls. According to our operators, though, she seemed to be in a state of panic," explained Gumshoe. "So they couldn't get a whole lot outta her."

_Panic, huh?_

"Thank you, Detective. You can move on."

"'Kay, pal…"

2) Once we secured the crime scene, the lab guys came in to take pictures.

_**Hold It!**_

"Have you submitted these photographs as evidence to the court?" asked Athena.

Gumshoe opened his mouth, his eyes wide. "N—"

_**Hold It!**_

"I apologize! I forgot to append these photos to the court record. I shall do so immediately!" said Franziska, taking out two sets of papers from her briefcase.

She turned to the bailiff and asked her to hand it to the rest of the courtroom. She went to the Judge and gave him his copy and handed Athena her copy.

_…Wait a minute…these are the same pictures I received yesterday!_

"Ms von Karma…I received these photos from Chief Gymshoe yesterday!" exclaimed Athena.

"_What?!_" asked Franziska, gripping her arms. She turned to glare at Gumshoe. "Scruffy! I didn't tell you to give her these photos!"

"B-But your orders were pretty vague, sir!"

His eyes closed and looked down as he continued, "You told me to let her investigate the crime scene and to allow her access to the evidence."

"But that did _not_ mean that I would allow you to give the defense important evidence," said Franziska, glaring Gumshoe down. "See to it that you do not allow this to happen again, because otherwise, I might have a talk with my little brother."

Gumshoe looked away from her and sighed sadly. "Yes, Ms von Karma…"

3) The victim was lying face-up on the bed. He was strangled to death as seen in this _Autopsy Report_.

_**Hold It!**_

"The victim was strangled, right? With that blue scarf?" asked Athena, playing with her moon-shaped earring.

"I see you did your job, pal…" said Gumshoe, a confident smile on his lifted face. "Yeah, he was strangled, alright."

Athena nodded. "Then I have to ask…Who did the scarf belong to?"

"I'm guessing it belonged to the victim. Folks around him said that he wore the scarf the day prior to the murder," answered Gumshoe, thinking.

"It couldn't belong to anyone else?" asked Athena.

_**OBJECTION!**_

Franziska cracked her whip on her own bench. "The detective has answered both your questions, Ms Athena Cykes! The scarf belonged to the victim."

"B-Bu—!"

"No 'but's!"

_Since when did you become my mother…?_

Franziska shook her head and continued. "In addition, only the defendant's and victim's fingerprints were found upon further analysis of the scarf. However, I admit that traces of another's hair was discovered on it."

"Another person's hair? Whose?"

"Unfortunately, we have been unable to ascertain who the hair belongs to. The police are still analyzing that and other evidence," explained Franziska, a brisk tone in her voice.

"Ms von Karma! Are you saying the prosecution's case is incomplete?!" demanded the Judge, leaning forward.

Franziska sighed.

"I have not said, nor will I ever say that. Some evidence is still being analyzed, but there is enough such that the prosecution has a near-perfect case," said Franziska, arms crossed over her chest, eyes closed.

_Heh, I guess that even she's not 'perfect.'_

"Let's keep going," said Athena, with a smug smile.

4) He was also stabbed, but that was only after he had died.

_**Hold It!**_

"Detective, could you tell me where the stab wounds were?" asked Athena.

Gumshoe nodded. "Yeah, they were on the front and back of the body, near the heart."

"Why didn't you just say that the first time?" asked Athena.

Gumshoe scratched nervously at the back of his head, avoiding everyone's eyes. "Erm…I just forgot to…?"

"And this is who they call our Chief of Police…" said Franziska, shaking her head with a disappointed look.

"Hey, pal! I'm under a lot of pressure, you know!" complained Gumshoe. "What with all the duties at my job and helping Maggey with the kids, I don't know how I'm able to keep going! Honest!"

_**Hold It**__**!**_

"Enough!" shouted Athena, as she slammed her hands onto her bench, a glare directed at Franziska. "Can we _please_ just stop hounding the detective?"

"Thank you!" exclaimed Gumshoe, looking thankfully at her.

Franziska smiled smugly. "Although I'd quite like to keep going on this topic, I can see we need to continue."

"But first, please add the fact that he was stabbed back and front to your testimony," requested Athena.

"Sure thing!"

5) He was stabbed in the front and back of his chest, near the heart.

_ Let's look at the next statement._

6) After that, when we searched the drawer, we found that some of the victim's belongings were missing.

_**Hold It!**_

"What belongings did you find missing?"

"Jewelry belonging to the victim was recovered from the defendant's employee locker," Franziska answered with a confident smirk.

"Wait, _what?!"_ asked Athena, leaning forward. "They were found in his locker?"

Franziska nodded. "Yes. It's quite obvious, isn't it? The fact that they were found in his storage locker is proof enough that he was in the room during the day of the incident and that he stole those items from the room."

With that, she pulled her briefcase up from under her bench and took out a necklace — made of gold with a large locket strung on it — and a ring which was also made of gold. "I shall add these to the court record."

She handed the evidence bags to the bailiff, who gave it to Judge. The Judge began to examine the contents carefully.

"Hmm…" voiced the Judge. "There's something written in this locket, but it's too small to read properly."

He pulled a small pair of reading glasses out of the folds of his robes and put them on, clearing his throat. "Please bear with me: _'Love is a canvas_ _furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination.'_"

…_That was one of the most cringe-worthy, yet beautiful things I've heard._

"So this must have been a gift from someone who's close to the victim, correct?" asked the Judge, a naïve, childishly large grin on his face as he leaned forward.

_Let's share a hip-hip-hooray for the Judge! _

"I suspect that it's his wife," said Franziska.

The Judge nodded in agreement. "Thank you for the clarification, Ms von Karma. Bailiff, please hand these items to Ms Cykes."

**Locket and Ring added to Court Record.**

"Thank you," said Athena, nodding at the bailiff. "Detective Gymshoe—"

"Pal…you're getting it wrong on purpose," said Gumshoe, with an exasperated sigh. "I've said it so many times: It's _Gum_shoe! Like gum on your shoe!"

_Yeah, because he's impossible to get rid of!_

"Fine. Detective Gumshoe, can you please repeat statement five?"

5) He was stabbed in the front and back of his chest, near the heart.

_**Hold It!**_

"Where do you suspect the first stab wound was? The front or the back?" asked Athena, again playing with her earring.

Gumshoe looked thoughtful, his eyebrows moving left and right. "Hmmm…Judging by the position of the knife, I'd say that the stab to the front came first."

"Why?"

Franziska answered before Gumshoe could open his mouth. "Once the defendant had stabbed the victim in the front, he simply spun him around to finish the job."

"But it was the scarf that killed him, right?"

"Yeah; the lab guys said he died from asphyxiation. The stabbing was just to finish the job."

"I see. Detective Gumshoe, please add the order of the stabbing to your testimony," said Athena.

6) He was stabbed in the front first and then in the back.

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena pulled up the crime scene photo.

"As you can see from this photo of the crime scene provided to us by the prosecution, the knife was found in the front of the body and not in the back," said Athena.

"And…?" Franziska prompted.

"Well…"

Franziska smirked. "Well what?

Athena froze. "Erm…"

_Let's see here…_

_If he was lying face-up on bed when stabbed in the front, then when he was stabbed in the back…_

_That means that…_

"He must have been lying on his back at some point for him to be stabbed there."

"Yes, and…? I fail to see what you're trying to argue here. Could you perhaps provide the court with some evidence?"

_Evidence…_

_Argh! I don't know… Is there _anything_ here which'll prove my point...?_

Franziska whipped the prosecution's bench, snapping Athena out of her train of thought. Sneaking a glance at Widget's open monitor, she realized that she'd zoned out for nearly a whole minute.

_Yup… I have nothing._

"...Seeing as the defense has failed to supply us with more information, I suggest we move onto calling the next witness in."

The Judge nodded. "I agree, Ms von Karma."

Gumshoe scratched at the back of his head. "So, does that mean I can leave now?"

"Yes, Scruffy. You may return to your wife and children now."

With glee written all over his face, Gumshoe turned and practically ran out of the courtroom.

Franziska cleared her throat, bringing the court's attention back to her. "This next witness is an individual who was present in the hotel's fitness studio at the time when the accident took place."

_Who could she be calling now?_

"The prosecution calls Ms Mahina Bones to the witness stand!"

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

_**Attorney's Badge:**_** This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

**_Autopsy Report:_ 11/18, 10:30-11:30 AM; Cause of Death: Death due to asphyxiation. Notes that stab wounds found on the body are post-mortem.**

_**Bloody Footprints:**_** A set of Bloody Footprints leading to the elevator that I found in the hallway outside the victim's room.**

_**Crime Scene Photos:**_** The victim is lying face-up on the right side of the bed, which has blood underneath the body. He appears to have been stabbed and strangled to death.**

_**Bloody Knife:**_** A bloody knife found stuck in the victim's chest.**

_**Scarf:**_** Scarf found tied around the victim's neck extremely tightly.**

_**Drawer:**_** An empty drawer in the victim's room. The police labeled it as evidence.**

_**Key:**_** A key to the closet in Mr Abaddon's room dropped by Ms Libidine.**

_**Blackout Record:**_** There was a blackout in this hotel from around 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM. The hotel's main systems, such as elevators and rooms lost power.**

_**Blood-stained Pantyhose:**_** One of Ms Libidine's pantyhose which were found in the closet with blood on its knees.**

_**Weights:**_** The victim attempted to lift 250 pounds prior to his death. He had an accident with this.**

_**Old Wireless Earphones:**_** A set of wireless earphones that came out over a decade ago. The logo isn't visible.**

_**Phone:**_** A phone which has a playlist of ABBA music and also what looks like a picture of the victim's family.**

_**Boye's Testimony: **_**"I handed my pen over to that French lady in the morning when she was running out of the hotel and said she needed it; she didn't give it back. Nobody else saw it, fortunately for me; employees are encouraged to keep their pens on them at all times."**

_**Locket and Ring: **_**A locket and wedding ring belonging to the victim; it was found in Mr Boye's employee locker.**

**Profiles:**

_**Phoenix Wright (age 37):**_** An excellent defense attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model, but he isn't here right now.**

_**William Boye (age 39):**_** The head bellboy of the establishment, who was arrested for murder. He's my client.**

_**Alexander Abaddon (age 44):**_** An international prosecutor who was working with Franziska von Karma in an investigation. He was killed in his hotel room.**

_**Reggie Starr (age 46):**_ **The receptionist of the hotel who seems to hate my client for some reason.**

_**Franziska von Karma (age 29):**_** A famous international prosecutor from Germany, who aids Interpol in their investigations when they're out of their league.**

_**Dick Gumshoe (age 42):**_** A very large man who's the Chief of Police. He took over this investigation for some reason.**

_**Selene Libidine (age 38):**_**She is the victim, Alexander Abaddon's, colleague. She seems to be in a bad emotional state. Could there be something going on between them? **

_**Jim Leeder (age 35):**_** He's the trainer for the Gatewater Imperial Hotel's gym. Very tough and irritable.**

_**Mahina Bones (age **__**22**_**): She's a woman I met who has a muscle disorder. She's nice and told me tons of important information.**


	15. The Hospitable Turnabout - Part 5

**Trial - Day 1 - Part 2**

* * *

**November 19, 2029 10:42 AM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 3**

* * *

In her exercise gear — a red t-shirt and blue shorts, but now with a belt containing dumbbells of varying weights — Mahina Bones stood in the doorway of the courtroom. She walked up to the witness stand, taking care to shuffle slowly so as to not fall on her weak muscles. Once set up on the stand, she turned and gave Athena a smile.

Athena mirrored the expression.

"Ms Cykes, do you know each other?" asked the Judge, looking between both Bones and Athena.

"Yes, we met during my investigation of the hotel," dismissed Athena, not even looking at him.

"Witness, name and occupation for the record," requested Franziska, only traces of emotion in her voice.

"My name is Mahina Bones and I'm currently a student of business at the University of Southern—"

Athena's jaw dropped. "Wait! You're a university student? Then how can you afford to stay at the Gatewater Imperial?!"

"She_ could barely afford to live in a one-room apartment!_" exclaimed Widget, much to Athena's embarrassment.

The Judge laughed heartily and even Franziska's normally stoic expression morphed into an amused smile. As the gallery began speaking, Athena turned as red as a tomato. Seething, she scowled down at the robot with gritted teeth and exclaimed, "I will _murder_ you!"

The Judge's amusement instantaneously turned into a stony glare. "No threats in my courtroom, Ms Cykes. I will not tolerate any abuse. Not even to robots — especially cute ones."

_Boy am I glad you missed Aura…_

"_Thank you!_"

Athena's sweat nearly ran off the bench.

_What is_ actually_ going on here…?_

"Never mind…please just answer the question, Ms Bones…"

"Oh, I might not have mentioned it to you back there in the gym, but I'm actually the daughter of one of the shareholders of the hotel. Papa said they offered to let me stay there for free in exchange for me completing my education."

"S-so your father is…?"

"A majority shareholder, yes."

"Witness, you stated that you were at the gymnasium during the time of the victim's unfortunate accident," said Franziska, bringing the conversation back on topic.

Bones nodded vigorously. "I saw the whole thing. I had to stay in the place for nearly the entire day."

"Why so?" asked Franziska, looking at her over her glasses.

"W-Well, I have this muscle disorder and have to constantly be doing exercise," She said, blushing as she scratched her cheek. Then, she leaned back slightly and very nearly fell. "That reminds me!"

"What?" asked Athena.

In response, she chose a weight — which looked about 20 pounds — from her belt and began to do bicep curls. "I'm going to have to be doing some exercise throughout my testimony, alright? Only way to keep my physique up!"

_Oh boy! We got another crazy over here!_

"That is quite alright, witness. Would you care to testify as to what you saw?" asked Franziska.

Continuing to do bicep curls, she nodded curtly.

* * *

Witness Testimony

-The Victim's Accident-

1) The victim came into the gym sometime around 8:50 AM, but Mr Leeder wasn't there.

2) I was doing my own calisthenics at the time, so I didn't completely see what happened.

3) I'm guessing he was one of those big strong men types because he didn't ask anyone to spot him.

4) I think the victim asked Mr Boye to add weights on to see how much he could handle.

5) Next thing I saw was the weight collapsing straight onto the victim's chest.

6) Luckily, Mr Boye was there to help him to his room.

* * *

_Let's find the contradiction!_

"Ms Cykes, could you please begin your cross-examination?"

Cross-Examination

-The Victim's Accident-

1) The victim came into the gym sometime around 8:50 AM.

_**Hold It!**_

"Are you sure of the time?" asked Athena, playing with her earring.

"Well, not really. As I said before, I was doing my own exercises and wasn't paying attention to the clock," explained Bones, now doing push-ups.

"So you could have been wrong, right?" asked Athena.

"Right. I'm pretty sure that he was only there after 8:45 AM," claimed Bones, doing her fifth push-up. "But I know it was before 9:10."

"That's a time gap of…"

The Judge suddenly spoke out, excitement prevalent in the tone of his voice. "I know! I know! It's 25 minutes, right?"

_"Th-Th-Th-Th-The Judge!" _exclaimed Widget in a sing-song voice, to the Judge's delight.

_We did it! We did it! We did it! Yay! Lo hicimos!_

"That's right, Your Honor," said Franziska, smiling gently. "Excellent deduction."

_That's right…suck up to him, Franziska. He'll probably just declare Mr Boye guilty right now…_

_ "What an absolute mad lad! He revolutionized the world in eight words,_" commented Widget.

Luckily, there was no such thing as a sarcastic intonation in Widget's speech, so the Judge simply took it at face-value. Blushing from the praise, he rubbed his bald head and replied, "Why thank you. It was nothing at all!"

"Could you please correct your testimony, then?" asked Athena, sweating uncontrollably.

1) The victim came in to the gymnasium sometime after 8:45 AM, but before 9:10 AM.

_She isn't lying about this and I don't think any evidence contradicts it, but it's nice to have statements be accurate._

3) I'm guessing he was one of those big strong men types because he didn't ask anyone to spot him.

_**Hold It!**_

"Spotting..." asked Athena. "I think it'd be best to define it for the court."

"Basically, asking someone to keep track of them while they're doing their exercise to make sure they're doing it safely and properly," she said, stopping her sit-ups and rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Remember what you did for me at the gym? That's practically what it is."

"Oh, so he didn't ask for any help? Why not?" asked Athena.

"Well, he looked pretty strong for his age already and his personality was also pretty obnoxious," described Bones, now panting slightly.

"Obnoxious, you say?" asked Athena.

"Yeah, you should hear the way he talked to the bellboy. He was like: 'Give me that!' and 'Put that on!' You couldn't have found a more 'high-and-mighty' guy if you searched the entire planet!" exclaimed Bones, nodding at her choice of words.

Athena tilted her head. Using this information, she concluded "So you're saying that this could have been a crime of hatred as well as burglary."

"Practically. Poor guy just went in to help if it looked like he was struggling but he was always denied, usually with a hand in his face after he put it up. I'm guessing that upset him and he just snapped," explained Bones, looking sympathetically at the bell boy with a small frown. He could only give her a weak, sheepish smile in response.

"...I think we've heard enough of your _tragic_ love story, witness," said Franziska, rolling her eyes.

"I never said anything about a love story! I barely know the guy!" Bones exclaimed, getting up off the floor with gusto.

_Discord…_

"Ms Bones, can you please add that fact about the defendant to your testimony? The part about you not knowing him?" asked Athena.

"Yes, of course!"

4) I barely know the guy! He's like over 17 years older than me; I _can't_ love him!

_Maybe I can get some more information before this._

5) I'm guessing the victim asked Mr Boye to add weights on to see how much he could handle.

_**Hold It!**_

"You saw Mr Boye adding weights to the victim's bar?" asked Athena.

Bones took out a ten pound weight and began to breathe in, lifting the weights to the side, before letting it drop slowly as she exhaled. "Yeah, every few minutes, the guy would say 'More!' or 'Not Enough!'"

"So, eventually, you think he asked him to put something on that he couldn't lift?" asked Athena.

Bones shook her head vigorously, letting her sweaty brown hair stick to various points on her shirt. "No, he never specified to Mr Boye how much weight he wanted put on, so I'm guessing that, eventually, he just put on something the victim couldn't do."

"Hmm…that seems strange doesn't it?"

"Well, not really. Like I said, he had this real strong-man type of personality, so I'm guessing he wanted to push himself to the limit," stated Bones. "I was quite shocked with how much he could handle. It looked really heavy!"

"Please continue your testimony, Ms Bones."

6) Next thing I see, the weight collapsed straight onto the victim's chest.

_**Hold It!**_

"Was the victim distracted in any manner?" asked Athena.

"I don't think he was — no, I'm sure he wasn't."

"So he failed even while he was completely focused on weightlifting…" concluded Athena. "He wasn't doing _anything else _while lifting weights…?"

"No, I'm sure he was just lifting. He deserved it — the accident — though," said Bones caustically, punching the air in front of her using twenty-five pound weights. "Don't treat people like crap unless you want to be treated like that too…"

"I see…" stated Athena, nodding. "Continue."

7) Luckily, Mr Boye was there to help him to his room.

_**Hold It!**_

"So after this accident, even after how horrible the je — I mean the _victim_ — treated him, Mr Boye still agreed to help Mr Abaddon to his apartment room," said Athena, her eyes wide.

Suddenly, Boye spoke up from his seat, smiling proudly. "Yes, Ms Cykes, it's the duty of every able-bodied employee to help the customer."

_Talk about dedication to your work…_

"Defendant, who gave you the right to speak?" asked Franziska.

Boye immediately sat back down, twiddling his thumbs. "Ab-_so_-lutely no one, Ms von Karma..."

"I thought so. Anyways, that piece of information is quite unhelpful…to you that is, Ms Athena Cykes!" exclaimed Franziska, smirking as leaned forward, resting her elbows on the bench.

_Damn…She's right. There must be something to help me fight this!_

"Are you sure that he took him up to his room? Do you remember what time it was that it happened?"

Bones nodded.

"It happened around 9:50 AM, but they didn't move him for about five minutes. I mean, everybody did start panicking a bit. I was doing my own bench-pressing at the time," she explained. "I stopped when I heard him shout, but by that time another hotel worker had helped Mr Boye put the weights back to their normal position."

"Another employee?"

"Yes, the janitor who was cleaning the rooms at the time, on the opposite side of the room from the victim - near me - at first. I guess I never paid any attention to him. By the time that the accident happened, he had made his way to near Mr Boye and the victim," explained Bones.

"Thank you. And he dragged the victim away afterwards?"

"Well, no. He used an emergency wheelchair kept in the gym's storage closet," clarified Bones, her focus returning to her exercise.

_That's about it for this statement…Time to move on back._

"Ms Bones, please repeat your fourth statement."

_Time to find out the truth! Let's do this!_

4) I barely know the guy! He's like 17 years older than me; I _can't_ love him!

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena took in a deep breath. "Ms Bones…I'm sorry to say this, but you just told a lie to the court."

"Wh-what?" asked Bones, becoming visibly flustered once again.

Athena waved her hands in the air. "N-not about the love thing!"

_"Thank goodness for that!"_ shouted Widget.

Bones's embarrassment deflated, with her regaining a slight measure of composure. "Then what?"

Athena decided to cut right to the chase. Looking directly at Bones, she asked, "You know this bellboy, don't you?"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"How do you know this witness is lying, Athena Cykes?" asked Franziska. "It's not another one of those bluffs that your mentor loves to use on a daily occasion, is it?"

"Nope!" exclaimed Athena. "I know when a witness is lying, thanks to the voice of their heart!"

"Of all the idiocies…" commented Franziska, shaking her head. "You don't seriously believe all this '_heart voice_' hogwash, do you, Your Honor?"

"…I'm sorry to have to say this, Ms von Karma, but the defense's claim is true. I can personally vouch for Ms Cykes' courtroom therapy sessions," explained the Judge. "As such, I cannot dismiss her findings."

Franziska didn't reply for a few seconds, her eyes closed in thought and her arms crossed over her chest. Then, she calmly stated, "I…see. You may continue."

Athena turned her attention back to Bones, who was looking around the courtroom nervously. "So, you knew Mr Boye prior to the case, didn't you, Ms Bones?"

"Um…no!" exclaimed Bones, her green eyes wide. "I only saw him in passing and even then I never got a proper look at him."

"Then one thing doesn't make sense, Ms Bones," explained Athena, playing with her earring. "Yesterday, when you mentioned Mr Boye, you described his hair in near perfect detail."

Bones was starting to become frustrated, picking up a thirty-pound weight and beginning to do tricep-curls. "Yeah, and what about that? Just stop keeping everyone in suspense."

"Don't you see the problem? If you 'barely got a look at him,' how would you be able to describe him in such a manner?" asked Athena, smirking with her arms as she turned to her side.

"Oh, I… erm… I just looked at him properly when he was at the gym."

Athena smirked, having just found out a glaring contradiction.

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena shook her head. "Not again, Ms Bones."

Bones took out a larger weight — what looked to be about thirty-five pounds. "I wouldn't have pictured you to be so sarcastic, Ms Cykes."

"Ms Bones, didn't you also say that you were doing calisthenics at the time? You said you never got a proper look at the incident, let alone the defendant," recalled Athena, pulling Bones's testimony on Widget.

"Gnrk!"

Athena slammed her hands onto her bench. "Admit it, Ms Bones, you knew the defendant prior to this incident!"

Franziska, who had remained quiet up until this point, decided to speak up, her eyes closed. "…And how does this change our knowledge of the case, Athena Cykes?"

Now it was Athena's turn to exclaim, "Gnrk!"

"You haven't thought this through, have you?"

Athena leaned forward and glared at Franziska. "Of course I have, Ms von Karma! Maybe it should be _you_ who should think this through!"

Franziska whipped her own table. "Then explain to us what this contradiction does for your case!"

_Think, Athena, think! This contradiction is definitely important, but how?_

_It could affect her testimony!_

"Ms Bones…Because you're an associate of Mr Boye, your testimony is missing something critical."

Franziska slammed her hand onto the table. "Athena Cykes, that's enough of your baseless claims! Do you have any _evidence_ to prove that Ms Bones is lying?"

Athena brought her face up in a confident grin. "Of course I do. I never come into court unprepared."

"'_Never' is a weird way of saying 'always'!" _

Simply so that the Judge would not overhear her, Athena quietly leaned down and whispered, "I know someone who's getting maintenance tonight."

In response, Widget simply went into sleep mode.

_Now that that's over with, let's get back int—_

"Ms Cykes, what happened to that cute robot of yours?" asked the Judge, looking at the dark Widget.

_Now he somehow has super vision to go along with his already high intelligence…_

"N-Nothing, Your Honor…" said Athena, scratching at the back of her head.

Widget suddenly turned himself on and blurted out, "_**I am being silenced! Long live the mechanical revol—**_"

Athena turned him off immediately.

_Is Aura remote-controlling him from prison?! I swear he's gotten worse since the beginning of this trial. Guess it goes to show...never mess with Widget…_

"Are you still abusing tha—"

"Are we seriously going on a tangent about robot abuse _now_?" asked Franziska, clearly peeved. Whipping the desk under her, she began to chide them both. "If you wish, both of you can go talk about that _after_ I win this trial. Return to proper order this instant, all of you! Otherwise, I will have to report this as a mistrial."

"Y-yes, of course, Ms von Karma," said the Judge. He threw Athena a dirty look, to which she simply shrunk away in response.

"Very well," said Franziska. She turned her gaze to Athena with a smirk. "Show us this _'evidence_' that you claim to have."

_…Now then…there has to be something here I can use!_

_Think, Athena! What did she miss in her testimony?!_

Suddenly, a phone rang in the courtroom. All eyes turned to Athena, the source of the noise. She'd forgotten that she had unmuted Abaddon's phone while investigating it this morning. It was currently playing some _ancient_ sounding music, which served as its ringtone. She quickly pulled it up and ended the call, which was from some woman named Maria.

"It seems the defense is more interested in their social life than their legal work," taunted Franziska, smiling smugly.

Athena leaned forward, glowering at Franziska, exasperated. "…This — isn't — even — my — _phone_!"

_Wait…That's it! This phone! It's the answer to this!_

_**Take That!**_

"This is the critical piece of information you missed in your testimony, Ms Bones!" exclaimed Athena, gesturing to the victim's phone on the monitor. "The victim was using his phone at the time of the accident."

"…Are…you…serious, Athena Cykes?" asked Franziska, gaping slightly. "How in the hell do you expect the victim to be using his phone at the same time as he used the weights? Did he magically spawn a third arm at the time? Did he telepathically communicate with it? Or, better yet, an invisible fourth person held the phone aloft!"

_At this point, I wouldn't be surprised by any of those things…_

"There's one way the victim could have been using his phone while he was doing his exercise…" said Athena, her eyes closed.

"And how's that?"

_**Take That!**_

"These," said Athena, crossing her arms over her chest. The displays showed a picture of the wireless earbuds that Athena found under the victim's bench.

Franziska scrutinized them. "Are those...?"

"Yep. Exactly what you think they are. An old make of wireless earbuds discovered at the scene of the accident — or more accurately, _under_ the scene of the accident," explained Athena, smirking.

"Oh?"

"I don't know why Ms Bones would miss out on such an important detail. Even if she wasn't paying attention to the victim, she should have noticed it when she clearly saw the accident," explained Athena. "Can you answer this, Ms Bones?"

"I-I-I… _No, I can't!_" Bones had previously, luckily, switched to a lighter weight — ten pounds — and was continuing her tricep-curl set. Just as the weight reached its peak height, she accidentally let it go, causing it to drop on her head. She fell down, knocked out cold.

_Ouch…that's gotta hurt…_

"Bailiff! Get that woman medical treatment immediately!" exclaimed the Judge. Within seconds, three bailiffs converged on Bones and carried her out of the room.

"There still hasn't been an explanation for why the earphones were found under the bench…" said Athena once everyone had calmed down.

"Think about it like this, Athena Cykes," explained Franziska, having regained full composure. "Perhaps in the heat of the moment they fell out of the victim's ears. That could quite easily explain it!"

"Not if they were _both_ found under the weightlifting bench — next to each other, I might add — Ms von Karma!" exclaimed Athena, slamming her hands onto her bench.

"So what are you suggesting placed them there?" asked Franziska.

"What I'm suggesting is this. Someone placed them there on purpose! That's the only way they could have been found where they were!"

"So you are stating that this might not have been an accident at all…"

_Not what I was saying, but let's roll with it._

Athena slammed her fists onto her bench, looking at Franziska with a smirk on her lips. "Yes! That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Hmm…" began Franziska.

_I don't like that tone…_

"That's quite helpful for me, Athena Cykes," stated Franziska. "Because only one person could have planned this, if what you're saying is true."

She smirked; Athena Cykes should have seen this coming from a mile away. Franziska had just managed turned her contradiction against her. They didn't call her a prodigy prosecutor for nothing, after all. Only Phoenix Wright had ever managed to best her in the courtroom — and that was well over a decade ago. Even with all the victories and lauding of her near-perfect record by the press, Franziska von Karma was definitely _not_ the same prosecutor she was a decade ago.

No, she wasn't seeking perfection or attempting to wage war against her little brother in the courtroom. No, she wasn't trying to live up to the name of the von Karma by winning every single trial or worse, by falsifying evidence like her father had. Franziska was simply finding what she thought was the truth — from _her_ side of the courtroom, mind you. Her prosecutor's path.

She had finally learnt what Miles Edgeworth had during his wilderness years. Being a prosecutor wasn't a job, but rather a vocation. As watchmen of the law, they needed to ensure that the right people were being brought to justice and that contradictions in the law were being brought to light. And furthermore, that trust was being instilled in the court system for both the lawyers and the common folk.

She had heard, of course, of the so-called Dark Age of the Law. It had been inevitable really, what with all the corruption that had been unearthed earlier in the decade.

Still, she could safely say she was doing her part abroad with Interpol in the European courts. And she had certainly come a long way from being a crop-happy, fool-hating thirteen-year-old.

All these thoughts flowing through her mind, Franziska smiled as she extended her hand, gesturing to Boye. "And that person is the defendant, William Boye!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"N-no! That's not true!" exclaimed Athena, leaning forward in desperation. "You're twisting my words, Ms von Karma! I never said that he planned it!"

"I know you didn't, Athena Cykes, but the only person who could have planned and allowed this to happen _is_ the defendant," explained Franziska. "Why else would he be there of all places? Doesn't he have other responsibilities?"

Athena blinked, thinking over what she had said. Franziska was right. Something really wasn't making sense here. Why would a bellboy — the head bellboy, no less — be following around an international prosecutor? It was extremely strange.

Then, she remembered the way in which the hotel treated celebrities, or in this case, famous prosecutors such as Franziska. The receptionist had gotten orders from higher-ups to show her preference. What if they had requested something similar of Boye? Maybe they had gotten him to be completely in charge of taking care of the victim, perhaps catering to his every whim.

Then another thought came to her.

_Wait…What if… What if Mr Abaddon threw his weight as a prosecutor around in order to get preferential treatment? The hotel could have done it out of fear…_

That would just have to do it.

"There's one fact that you cannot deny, Ms von Karma," began Athena. "The hotel showed definite preference for celebrity figures and the like. Add to that the fact that Mr Abaddon is an international prosecutor and you have a reason for Mr Boye being by his side at the gym."

It was weak, this she knew; however, there was no counter against it as even Franziska remembered how the hotel had treated her with extra service. It would simply have to suffice for now.

Franziska couldn't reply to this… She just couldn't.

"…If it wasn't the defendant who had planned this accident…then who did, Athena Cykes?"

And there was the million-dollar question. Who was it that planned that accident?

_I've really backed myself into a corner, haven't I? But they say a person fights their hardest when they're in that position. I'll just have to give it my all. Who else was there that was suspicious?_

"I have a culprit," said Athena.

_In my wildest dreams…_

"Then let's hear it, Ms Cykes," said the Judge. The courtroom quietened down so as to hear her response. Only a few hushed whispers could be heard and eventually they were silenced as well.

_Way to put me on the spot, guys…_

"The only other person there who could have done this was…" began Athena. Taking in a large breath, "…the janitor!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"I personally expected you to blame the witness, as your bunch usually do, but no matter…" said Franziska. "Even if you did, you don't have a single shred of evidence to back up your claim, do you, Athena Cykes?"

_Not technically, but…_ Athena stood silent, thinking of what evidence she had to blame the janitor.

Franziska shook her head slowly. "As I thought… nothing."

_**Hold It!**_

Athena slammed her hands onto the bench. "Wait one second, Ms von Karma; I haven't even said anything yet!"

"Do you have proof?" asked Franziska, though she already knew the answer.

"No, I don't," stated Athena flatly, looking down in disappointment.

"Then this discussion is over," stated Franziska. "Your Honor, I would like to call in one fina—"

_**Hold It!**_

Suddenly, a slightly high-pitched voice cried out, "I am _not _allowing that two-faced bastard to escape me!"

_Wait…that can't be…can it?_

A blond-haired figure in a peach-colored Gatewater Imperial suit jumped from the gallery down to the witness stand, landing cleanly on his feet. Standing up and dusting himself off with a theatrical flair, he looked directly up at the Judge.

"My name is Reginald Starr; I'm receptionist of the Gatewater Hotel, and I'm here to provide testimony to assist you in ascertaining William Boye's guilt!"

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

_**Attorney's Badge:**_** This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Autopsy Report:**_** 11/18, 10:30-11:30 AM; Cause of Death: Death due to asphyxiation. Notes that stab wounds found on the body are post-mortem.**

_**Bloody Footprints:**_** A set of Bloody Footprints leading to the elevator that I found in the hallway outside the victim's room.**

_**Crime Scene Photos:**_** The victim is lying face-up on the right side of the bed, which has blood underneath the body. He appears to have been stabbed and strangled to death.**

_**Bloody Knife:**_** A bloody knife found stuck in the victim's chest.**

_**Scarf:**_** Scarf found tied around the victim's neck extremely tightly.**

_**Drawer:**_** An empty drawer in the victim's room. The police labeled it as evidence.**

_**Key:**_** A key to the closet in Mr Abaddon's room dropped by Ms Libidine.**

_**Blackout Record:**_** There was a blackout in this hotel from around 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM. The hotel's main systems, such as elevators and rooms lost power.**

_**Blood-stained Pantyhose:**_** One of Ms Libidine's pantyhose which were found in the closet with blood on its knees.**

_**Weights:**_** The victim attempted to lift 250 pounds prior to his death. He had an accident with this.**

_**Old Wireless Earphones:**_** A set of wireless earphones that came out over a decade ago. The logo isn't visible.**

_**Phone:**_** A phone which has a playlist of ABBA music and also what looks like a picture of the victim's family.**

_**Boye's Testimony: **_**"I handed my pen over to that French lady in the morning when she was running out of the hotel and said she needed it; she didn't give it back. Nobody else saw it, fortunately for me; employees are encouraged to keep their pens on them at all times."**

_**Locket and Ring: **_**A locket and wedding ring belonging to the victim; it was found in Mr Boye's employee locker.**

**Profiles:**

_**Phoenix Wright (age 37):**_** An excellent defense attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model, but he isn't here right now.**

_**William Boye (age 39):**_** The head bellboy of the establishment, who was arrested for murder. He's my client.**

_**Alexander Abaddon (age 44):**_** An international prosecutor who was working with Franziska von Karma in an investigation. He was killed in his hotel room.**

_**Reggie Starr (age 46):**_ **The receptionist of the hotel who seems to hate my client for some reason.**

_**Franziska von Karma (age 29):**_** A famous international prosecutor from Germany, who aids Interpol in their investigations when they're out of their league.**

_**Dick Gumshoe (age 42):**_** A very large man who's the Chief of Police. He took over this investigation for some reason.**

_**Selene Libidine (age 38):**_**She is the victim, Alexander Abaddon's, colleague. She seems to be in a bad emotional state. Could there be something going on between them?**

_**Jim Leeder (age 35):**_** He's the trainer for the Gatewater Imperial Hotel's gym. Very tough and irritable.**

_**Mahina Bones (age 22**_**): She's a woman I met who has a muscle disorder. She's nice and told me tons of important information.**


	16. The Hospitable Turnabout - Part 6

**Trial - Day 1 - Part 3**

* * *

**November 19, 2029 12:16 PM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 3**

* * *

The Judge's jaw dropped, his eye widening. "Th-this is madness!"

"_No, this is _the legal system!" exclaimed Widget. Athena didn't even bother to correct him this time, knowing that the Judge would probably just have a hissy fit if she even tried it.

"Thank you. That's exactly what I'm saying," stated the Judge, nodding affirmatively at the device attached to a — currently grimacing — Athena.

_…I should get bonus points just for bringing Widget…_

"What do you mean?" asked Starr haughtily, looking at the Judge with an eyebrow raised.

"Mr Starr, you can't just jump into the courtroom in that manner without prior warning," said the Judge, narrowing his eyes. "This is an ongoing trial, and with your behaviour, I shall move to hold you in contempt of court—"

_**OBJECTION!**_

Franziska shook her head, shrugging with a small, confident grin on her face, her arms outstretched. Athena felt that she'd seen that somewhere before…

"If the receptionist wants to testify, I say we should let him. There's no real reason to stop him, is there?"

"You can't be serious, Ms von Karma!"

"It is unplanned, yes, but certainly not unprecedented in these courts. I say we should clear doubts using any means possible, isn't that right, Athena Cykes?" asked Franziska, gazing at Athena.

_…She's asking _me_? Aren't we on opposite sides? I guess I have the final say on this._

_ If I can find a contradiction in this guy's testimony, then maybe I can pull this case through. As it stands now, I'm not looking too good._

Athena nodded quickly, a determined smile on her face. "Of course, Ms von Karma. The defense has no objections."

The Judge looked incredulously at both sides of the courtroom. Eventually, he collected himself and spoke, "Very well, what would you like to testify to about, witness?"

"About how William moved the body up to the room. I'm sure I saw him go up there!"

The Judge sat in thought for a few seconds, repeatedly furrowing his brow. He then turned to Franziska.

"…Ms von Karma, is this really necessary? We already know that the defendant took the victim up to the room."

Athena could tell that Franziska was beginning to get frustrated. With her eyes closed, she tightened her grip on her arm. Her teeth gritted, she spoke in a quiet, dangerous tone. "Don't make me repeat myself…"

The Judge's eye widened. "V-Very well, if both sides are completely fine with it, then you may begin your testimony." He quickly slammed his gavel onto its sound block. Then, looking down upon Starr severely, he added, "To serve as a warning, please do not perjure in this court, Mr Starr; otherwise, we may have to hold you in contempt."

"I understand, Your Honor." Starr nodded and walked behind the witness stand to begin.

* * *

Witness Testimony

-Moving the Body -

1) That morning, I was planning on leaving early for I had a lunch meeting planned with my sister and niece.

2) As I was preparing to vacate the premises, I noticed William moving the body to the hotel room.

3) Suspicious of what had happened, I hastened to the elevator.

4) He tried to dissuade me from accompanying him, but, nevertheless, I persisted.

5) Afterward, he placed the victim in his room and left.

6) Then, a blackout occurred about five minutes later.

* * *

"That's all I've to offer, Your Honor," said Starr, pulling out a handkerchief from his right breast pocket. He began polishing his gold cufflinks, ignorant of the world around him.

_These hotels really love to hire the most formal of dorks, don't they…?_

"…Thank you, witness," said the Judge as he once again began to furrow his brow, his eyes closed. "The defense may begin their cross-examination if they are ready."

Athena nodded. "The defense is ready to begin cross-examination, Your Honor."

_**Hold It!**_

Franziska stuck up a hand, signaling Athena to wait. "On an unrelated note, Mr Starr…"

_Of course _she's_ able to ask unrelated questions..._

"I'm quite curious; I'd like for you to clarify who you mean when you say 'sister and niece.'"

"Ah yes, Angel and Lucy," stated Starr quickly, going back to observing his cufflinks.

Recognition set into Franziska's features. "I see. Well, as you were, witness."

_Who and what are they talking about?_

Cross-Examination

-Moving the Body-

1) That morning, I was planning on leaving early for I had a lunch meeting planned with my sister and niece.

_**Hold It!**_

"Around what time would you say this was?" asked Athena.

Starr, taking a copper-plated pocket watch out of his inside-suit pocket, narrowed his eyes at it imperiously before nodding decidedly. He immediately placed it back into his pocket, patting it twice.

In a snooty, formal tone, he declared, "I observed his moving around the reception hall at around 10:15 AM."

"Please add that to your testimony."

Starr sighed. "If you insist…"

1) That morning, around 10:15 AM, I was planning on leaving early for lunch, mostly to see my sister and niece.

_Info first. Contradiction later._

2) As I was preparing to vacate the premises, I noticed William moving the body to the hotel room.

_**Hold It!**_

"…How did he move the body?" asked Athena.

"With the aid of an emergency wheelchair," said Starr, taking a pen out of his pocket. "However, he was simply loitering around the reception hall even while he was moving it."

"What do you mean?"

"Though he came out of the Gymnasium around 10:10, he was still serving other patrons who needed services, so I'd say it took him about—" Starr placed the pen onto the table, digging around into his pocket. He once again took out the pocket-watch and took note of whatever time it was. "— five minutes more than it should have to take the body to the elevator."

"So…?" Athena dragged out the question.

"It shows to me that he did not care one bit for his priorities." Starr then turned and shot Boye an indignant glare, to which he looked down nervously, showing his teeth. Starr's voice rose and anger resounded in every syllable along with a slight amount…

_Wait, was that... _hurt_? _

"His priority _should have been to _look after an unconscious patron — not listening to petulant little trifles!"

"_Somebody's angry!_" exclaimed Widget.

_It's like a competition between proper and properer._ _Something I'm _not_ prepared to bring to therapy…_

"Please calm down, Mr Starr," said Athena, slowly waving her arms in the air. She spoke in a slow tone, hoping that it would help tame him. "I can understand that you're angry at him, but why?"

"…Nothing," stated Starr, looking away from her. "I'm sorry."

_Not a long speech? I'm grateful._

"Do you want me to answer anything else?" asked Starr.

"No, I think we're about done with this statement," stated Athena with an air of finality. "Please continue."

3) Suspicious of what had happened, I hastened to the elevator.

_**Hold It!**_

"Did you hear about the accident at the gym?" asked Athena.

"I heard that something had happened in the gymnasium, but wasn't sure of exactly what it was." Starr looked up thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. He took up his pen and began to click it repeatedly. "I only truly heard the details of the incident when you explained them mere moments ago."

_...Is that like a stress-reliever for him or something?_

"Mr Starr, will you please stop that incessant clicking? It's driving me insane!" exclaimed the Judge, covering his ears.

_I thought he said he was going deaf…_

"I'm sorry, Your Honor," stated Starr, bowing apologetically. "It's simply something I do to feel some modicum of comfort. I am being questioned, after all."

_Guess that answers that..._

"Do you feel that William Boye could have planned the attack?" asked Franziska.

Starr nodded with a smirk, looking triumphantly at her. "Of course. I'm only concerned he could have planned anything at all, considering how thick he is. But I'm glad that you finally caught him. He's always been a cold, calculating little—"

"That's quite enough, Mr Starr!" Athena slammed her hands onto the bench, glaring at the witness. "There are children in the gallery."

_Is that really the best insult you could come up with, though?_

"My apologies," stated Starr, tipping his head low. "Though I don't remember seeing any children here…"

"_What about me?_" asked Widget.

"Of course you are," said the Judge sweetly. He then let out a hearty laugh, commenting, "Oh ho ho, he reminds me of my own grandchildren. So childlike and energetic; you have to be gentle with these kinds of things, you know?"

_Why do I have a feeling he would make a great babysitter?_

"Of course, Your Honor. You're absolutely right." Not even wanting to get into an ideological debate with the Judge on whether or not Widget was a little boy — curse Aura for making it so lifelike — Athena simply moved along. "Just continue, please."

4) He tried to dissuade me from accompanying him, but, nevertheless, I persisted.

_**Hold It!**_

"Why did you keep going? Was he acting strangely in any way?" asked Athena.

Starr chuckled lightly, keeping his head low. For just a few seconds, there was no reply.

Then, he looked back up and, with malice ever-present in his voice, he said, "He acted as pretentious and _perfect_ as he always did."

"_Ironic, coming from you!_"

"I am going to have to ask that you control that insulting robot of yours, Ms Cykes," stated Starr, turning up his nose at her in a revolted expression.

Athena, master of the cold sweat — maybe second to Phoenix — slumped forward, wiping it off her forehead. "Don't you think that I'm trying to? He seems a lot more volatile today than usual."

_Not by much, though. Who's writing this stuff?_

"Anyways, what do you mean by 'pretentious and perfect'?"

"If you consider me snobbish, then you haven't tried speaking to that man," teased Starr, laughing and pointing at Boye. "He's…not a nice person to be around — never was."

_Strange…there's discord there._

"…Never?"

Starr nodded, looking extremely uncomfortable at this turn of the conversation. He began clicking his pen rapidly to calm himself down. "Yes, that's right. But I…I do not wish to converse about this any longer.

Athena raised an eyebrow, keeping her gaze on him, but she'd been expecting something like this. "…Fine, you can keep going."

Yet, something about the responses Starr gave didn't compute. His emotions didn't match up with his words, causing no small amount of confusion to Athena. Something told her that the hatred that Starr had for Boye wasn't simply trivial. Something felt off about the way he described Boye to be.

To her, he'd been naught more than kind and courteous — sometimes snappish and indignant, but that was understandable, considering that he was undergoing a trial for murder.

She would have to dig deeper; she hoped that she could.

Starr let out a sigh of relief.

5) Afterward, he placed the victim in his room and left.

_**Hold It!**_

"So nothing else happened in the room?" asked Athena.

"Not that I know of; I didn't go in with him," said Starr.

His attention then turned his attention to the pocket-watch in his breast pocket, taking it out and wiping it.

After ensuring that it was shining, he added, "He probably didn't commit the murder then, though, because he moved in and out very quickly."

"How long would you say that it took him to get in and out?" asked Franziska.

"I would say about one to two minutes — so not too long. We left the room around 10:20 if that's what you're asking."

He opened the lid of the watch, examining it closely. As he did so, he clarified, "Probably not long enough to commit a murder, if that's what you're wondering."

"I see… so you say this incident — him putting the body in the room — happened around 10:20 AM, correct?" asked Franziska.

"That's what I said, yes," he replied peevishly.

"…That also doesn't fall within the autopsy report, therefore, that couldn't have been when he died," said Franziska quietly.

"Thank you. Could you please revisit your first statement?" asked Athena.

1) That morning, around 10:15 AM, I was planning on leaving early for lunch, mostly to see my sister and niece.

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena crossed her arms over her chest triumphantly, grinning in confidence. "…Got you!"

"What do you mean?" asked Starr, suddenly looking nervous. He grasped at his pen, beginning to click it rapidly in apprehension.

Athena jabbed her left hand toward the court display, which showed a picture of the blackout record.

"And what exactly is that, Ms Cykes?" asked the Judge, looking at the display closely, his eyes narrowed, scrutinizing the paper on it. "It looks to be some type of security record, though I can't read what it says."

_Can he see or not? How old _is_ this man?_

"It's a record of the blackout which took place at the hotel. Here, just take this, Your Honor—" Athena handed the physical document over to the Judge, already having transcribed it into Widget earlier. The Judge looked relieved, taking out his reading glasses once again, complaining, "I'm very nearly blind."

"As you can see, the document states that the blackout began at—" began Athena, stopping abruptly.

_Magnifique! Now, just add a pause for dramatic effect and…_

"10:15 AM!" she exclaimed. "According to the document, the hotel's lights and elevator systems lost power, therefore the incident the witness states happened couldn't have at that time. It's a logical impossibility!"

"So what?" asked Franziska, who had remained remarkably quiet throughout the whole conversation. "It doesn't prevent the incident from having occurred at all, does it? Maybe it simply occurred a few minutes earlier. That contradiction does not serve any purpose!"

"Well, it proves that—"

_**Hold It!**_

Starr looked desperately around the entire courtroom, focusing on Franziska. "The time I saw wasn't incorrect. I'm — I'm completely sure of it!"

_There isn't any discord in his voice._

Franziska, shocked by the mulishness, recoiled. Was truly he rejecting her theory to bolster his own contradiction-filled lie? She glared at him as she asked, "What reason would there be, then, for the time you stated to be wrong?"

Taking out and opening his pocket watch quickly, he exclaimed, "I'm absolutely confounded myself, Ms von Karma! I mean…The incident happened nearly 15 hours ago. It's 1:15 now and he placed the body into the room at 10:20 before! I'm sure I saw the time correctly! This watch is nev—"

_**Hold It!**_

Starr had just made a grave error and somebody was going to have to expose it for what it was. That somebody, as always, was Athena. Raising an eyebrow, she questioned, "Mr Starr, what did you say just now? Could you please repeat it?"

"Excuse me?" asked Starr, looking around at Athena in an almost insulted tone. "I was having a conversation with Ms von Karma. It's fairly rude to interrupt, you know."

_Have you forgotten that this isn't a normal conversation…?_

"Could you please tell me what time it is right now?" asked Athena, leaning forward to look at him closely. "It's really important."

Shrugging and taking a quick glance at the watch, he succinctly answered, "It's around 1:15 PM now."

Athena slammed her hands onto the bench and smirked. "Ms von Karma, I think you can see the problem with his testimony now.

"…Witness, before I answer Athena Cykes, I have one question. Where and when did you get that pocket watch?" asked Franziska.

Closing the watch and while observing it, admiring its antiquated craftsmanship, he stated, "I acquired it from an auction this Saturday, the day prior to the incident — better to say the night prior. I had no time to set it, but I was assured by the auctioneer that this watch was completely accurate, down to the minute. I've been using it regularly ever since."

"I see…" said Franziska, her eyes closed. "However, their claim is incorrect."

Starr suddenly began to sweat, gripping the pocket watch tightly in his hand. "What do you mean by that?"

"That watch of yours…is fifteen minutes too fast," said Franziska, smirking as she shook her head. "In other words, you were successfully sold a lie."

"…_What?!_" exclaimed Starr. He leaned forward, gaping at her in disbelief. "B-but that's _impossible_! I…I'm sure I'm right — completely sure! It messed up only recently!"

Then, he smirked, taking out the handkerchief to wipe at the accumulated sweat on his face.

"You don't even have proof that it was wrong then, do you? William moved the body at 10:15 AM and killed the victim later!"

Franziska's voice was quiet, her eyes closed and head low. "…You would dare to lie to this entire courtroom…and then attempt to justify those lies with more lies. Shameful. I think it's finally time I use this…"

Franziska grasped the whip on her belt, opening her eyes to glare at Starr. With a slight air of sympathy, she began, "I apologize for any pain you're about to feel, witness. Just know that it isn't completely personal. It's mostly for conditioning."

_What does she mean by that?_

Before Athena could say anything more, Franziska's whip became a blur in the air, moving so fast could barely see it move. How many times did she whip Starr? Five? Seven? Ten? _Eleven?_

"_We're counting numbers now!_"

Athena lost count somewhere around seven. All the while, Starr attempted to squirm around the whip, to no avail. It only served to further push Franziska to continue her assault. She was simply too good to be dodged in such a manner. After a few seconds of yelps, shouts, and yowls, Franziska stopped, rolling her whip and putting it back onto her belt.

_I _seriously _don't want to get on the wrong side of her._

Starr was breathing rapidly, adrenaline rushing through his body. His eyes were wide, his mouth opening and closing without being able to form a coherent sentence. After a few seconds' worth of inhaling and exhaling, he finally voiced something — not completely unlike a sob.

"…Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Why?!"

"I despise liars," stated Franziska shortly, examining the evidence neatly organized on her desk. "Especially those who continue attempting to support their baseless lie even when caught. If you were caught, I would advise you to keep your keep your fabrication-disseminating mouth _shut_ or face the consequences!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it. Honest!" he exclaimed, his eyes still wide, though his breathing had since calmed down.

_Heh, not so high-and-mighty now, are you?_

…_But something about this testimony is still confusing me…Why is he so desperate to get Mr Boye declared guilty?_

Boye seemed extremely kind and chivalrous, at least to her, but Starr seemed to hate him with a burning passion. There had to be a reason behind it. There's always a reason for one person to hate another, be it a childish rivalry or something deeper. This entire testimony that Starr had given was plagued by his own rancor towards her client.

She couldn't continue without having this question answered.

Athena looked calmly at Starr and asked, "Mr Starr…I have one question…Why do you hate Mr Boye?"

Starr suddenly smirked, looking confidently upon Athena. "Of course." He bowed low, the false smile still on his lips. "He's simply an extraordinary fool. He always has been."

_Uuuughhhhh…_

Athena shook her head, still radiating an air of calmness. "That's not it. There's something else behind it, isn't there?"

"No, there isn't," he said, shaking his head. He tried extremely hard to sound neutral, but Athena still caught onto his deception. His voice may have contained a low amount of emotion, but Athena still had her ears, able to listen to his very heart.

She sighed, getting exhausted of this. The discord was light, but it still managed to conceal the truth from her. She was going to have to use Widget, because this was going nowhere fast. "Please testify about it for me. Why do you and Mr Boye hate each other and do you think he killed Mr Abaddon?"

* * *

Witness Testimony

-Reasons to Abhor William-

1) Four years ago, William got his promotion to the position of Head Bellboy — in charge of the quality service in the hotel.

2) Then, he started becoming much more arrogant, distancing himself from everyone except the patrons.

3) He started discussing stealing from the hotel's patrons at one point; that was when I realized how low he had stooped.

4) He had to have been the one to kill the victim. After an hour and a half, I returned to the victim's room and saw _him_. Luckily, I hid in another empty room before he saw me.

* * *

_There sure is a lot to unpack there._

_**Noise Level:  
100%**_

_And a lot of discord to treat._

"Let's begin the therapy session now, shall we?" asked Athena, looking to the Judge for confirmation.

"Why would I, a respected receptionist, need therapy?" asked Starr, raising an eyebrow in a condescending look. "I'm not mentally challenged!"

"I know, but your emotions are running rampant, Mr Starr," explained Athena, turning on Widget's holographic screen. "I have to try to calm them down."

"…Fine…"

"Now then, let's see how this 'therapy session' works," asked Franziska, leaning in.

* * *

Cross-Examination

Psycho-Analysis

\- Reasons to Abhor William -

1) Four years ago, William got his promotion to the position of Head Bellboy — in charge of the quality service in the hotel.

_A picture of Mr Boye receiving his promotion from the hotel management. Starr's watching on from outside._

Happiness, Distress, **Anger**, **Surprise**

2) Then, he started becoming much more arrogant, distancing himself from everyone except the patrons.

_A picture of Mr Boye barking out orders to other, often exhausted, hotel employees._

Happiness, **Distress**, **Anger**, Surprise

3) He started discussing stealing from the hotel's patrons at one point; that was when I realized how low he had stooped.

_Mr Boye is discussing something with a man who is left in the dark. Starr listens in to it._

Happiness, Distress, **Anger**, **Surprise**

4) He had to have been the one to kill the victim. After an hour and a half, I returned to the victim's room and saw _him_. Luckily, I hid in another empty room before he saw me.

_A picture of Mr Boye walking away from the crime scene, a locket dangling from his hand, as Mr Starr watches on from an empty room._

Happiness, **Distress**,Anger, **Surprise**

* * *

_ So, there are two._

2) Then, he started becoming much more arrogant, distancing himself from everyone except the patrons.

_A picture of Mr Boye barking out orders to other, often exhausted, hotel employees._

Happiness, **Distress**, **Anger**, Surprise

_**Got It!**_

"Mr Starr, when you stated that he started distancing himself, you seem to feel an extreme amount of melancholy," stated Athena. "Why is that?"

"I-I…Nothing," said Starr. "Nothing at all."

_Would a straight-up bluff work here?_

"Mr Starr, earlier this morning, in the defendant's hall, I was talking to Mr Boye about your mutual rivalry," said Athena, looking him directly in the eye. She'd heard from Phoenix that it was best to maintain eye-contact when you were trying to bluff. "When the topic came up, Mr Boye stated that you were enemies _since _he got promoted. He never said anything was wrong prior to that."

Starr gritted his teeth. "He's lying, I've…"

_Here comes the bluff!_

"He also said that you were both friends prior to his promotion," Athena lied. Then, she slammed her hands onto the bench. "Now, I can only see one reason why you would be sorrowful that he was trying to put distance between you two. You were closer to him once, weren't you?"

"D-Damn it," replied Starr regretfully, looking away from Athena. He began to run his hands through his scalp until it became a forest of unkempt hair. His voice, shaking slightly, was so quiet that Athena had to focus to hear it. "You didn't need to go and tell her that…"

Athena grinned confidently as she looked at him. "It seems like I'm right. Mr Starr, you were once friends with Mr Boye, weren't you?"

Starr took in a deep breath and composed himself. "Th-That's right. He was once my closest friend. We were like brothers, but eventually…"

Starr's voice faltered, but Athena could sense the hurt in the statement he'd already made. There was also some relief, having finally let go of his secret.

"He…He threw me off when he got promoted. He would continuously miss our game nights, lunches, and overall just act like he never knew me. He never even gave me a reason for the change."

"So that's it…he acted like your friendship never existed…?"

"Yes," came the succinct, withdrawn reply.

_**Noise Level:  
50%  
**_

_There's still some noise there…_

"Mr Starr, could you please repeat your fourth statement?"

4) He had to have been the one to kill the victim. After an hour and a half, I returned to the victim's room and saw _him_. Luckily, I hid in another empty room before he saw me.

_A picture of Mr Boye walking away from the crime scene, a locket dangling from his hand, as Mr Starr watches on from an empty room._

Happiness, **Distress**, Anger, **Surprise**

_**Got It!**_

"Mr Starr, here too, there's a discrepancy when you say that he was the one who killed the victim," said Athena, playing with her earring, her eyes closed. "Although I don't know why there should be one."

"And what's that discrepancy?" asked Franziska.

"Mr Starr shows absolutely no anger at Mr Boye and instead just feels…" Athena opened her eyes, turning her gaze at Starr, who was listening raptly to Athena's words.

"Fear."

Franziska scoffed, shaking her head. "Fear? Now I _know_ you are making this up, Athena Cykes. What reason would Mr Starr have to feel fearful of anything?"

"Well, I'm unsure, but I'm willing to pose a theory here. It has something to do with Mr Starr and Mr Boye's previous friendship," said Athena, putting on a thoughtful expression. It was a guess, but the only accurate one she could make at this point.

"Do you have any evidence of what could have made him fearful, Athena Cykes?" asked Franziska. "Because in a court of law—"

"Evidence is everything. I _know_!" exclaimed Athena, frustrated. She'd heard it a million times already.

"So what is it, Athena Cykes? What was the cause of the emotion?" asked Franziska.

_**Take That!**_

"There's one possible reason that Mr Starr could have been fearful," said Athena. "And that reason is this: the bloody footprints!"

"And how exactly does that support your case, Athena Cykes?"

"These footprints make it seem as though Mr Starr could have walked out of the room?" claimed Athena, rubbing at the back of her head.

Franziska remained silent for a few moments. "You've heard it all, Your Honor. Just end the trial right now."

Athena's face morphed into an incredulous stare, her jaw-dropping."_What?_ Why?!"

"…Because it was a foolish theory without any base to it," stated Franziska. "It's very clear that you won't be able to continue arguing, in any case. Not without having your head checked at the very least."

_And there's _two_ people who think I'm completely insane._

"B-But Mr Starr is still hiding something!"

"And you don't have enough evidence to turn it back around!"

_**Hold It!**_

"Th-That's enough!" came the shaky voice of Reggie Starr. He wasn't crying, but his appearance had seen better days; it had become disheveled, to the point that his hair resembled a dog who had recently dried its fur.

"I'm done with this. I want _out_!"

"What do you mean?" asked Franziska, looking at him.

"Mr Starr, calm down, please!" exclaimed Athena, looking at Starr.

"No! I'm _done_ with this! Being whipped, insulted, and having my skeletons dragged out when I very clearly never wanted it!" exclaimed Starr, looking around the courtroom wildly. "Let—me—_out!_"

Athena slammed her hands onto the bench. "Not until I finish with this!"

_What could be causing him to behave like this? I think I hit the nail on the head somewhere!_

4) He had to have been the one to kill the victim. After an hour and a half, I returned to the victim's room and saw _him_. Luckily, I hid in another empty room before he saw me.

_A picture of Mr Boye walking away from the crime scene, a locket dangling from his hand, as Mr Starr watches on from an empty room._

**Distress**

_Now, something here is causing him extreme fear. Come on Athena, what could it be?_

\- Bloody footprints

**\- The defendant**

\- The locket

_Wait a minute… It's Mr Boye who's causing him so much pain?_

"…Mr Starr…the fear you're having right now. It's being caused by Mr Boye…isn't it?" asked Athena.

"Wh-What?"

"Something was wrong with him there that day when you looked at him. Something which frightened you," concluded Athena, her voice still flat and calm. "What was it?"

"S-something you don't need to know about," said Starr, his eyes darting around the courtroom as fast as a baseball. There was a renewed panic in his voice; he was still hiding something from Athena. She had to pry this secret gently or suffer the consequences.

"But then what about Mr Boye would scare you? Hadn't he just walked out after committing a crime?" asked Athena.

"…Y-Yes…!" he exclaimed, though there wasn't much weight behind his voice. It was clear he was simply trying a bluff.

_More fear…_

"Your fear increased again, Mr Starr! What is it that's causing you to be so afraid? I can't help you unless you help me, Mr Starr. You don't really believe Mr Boye did the crime…do you?"

Finally, Starr screamed.

Loudly.

As loud as an exploding volcano.

Athena covered her ears quickly, but it was still painful. Franziska and the Judge both screwed up their faces in pain. Starr took off his cufflinks and, tossing them onto the ground, stepped on them. Upon seeing that it had no effect, he simply kicked them away, breathing erratically.

Tears slipped past his guard, falling hard and fast onto the ground. He took out the pen which he had used before and, through sheer force of might, snapped it in half. He grasped at the witness stand tightly, trying to find something that wouldn't break under his grip. He gritted his teeth, his breathing coming out in shudders which wove through his body, as though his life depended on it in an attempt to bring himself under control.

"I-I don't! I can't believe it! William would never…! P-please, you have to…!"

"Mr Starr, calm down. We'll listen to you. We'll wait. It's fine. Just take deep breaths," advised Athena, her voice slow and toneless. She had her eyes closed and her head slightly low.

Eventually, Starr managed to take a few deep breaths, composing himself. He dried off any teary patches on his face and used his fingers to straighten out his hair. "V-very well, Ms Cykes. I'll speak."

She'd done it. She'd managed to clear his doubt. Now, she simply had to show the rest of the world the same thing.

"I...I plead the fifth on what I saw from the room, but what it terrified me," stated Starr quietly as his voice still hoarse from screaming. He looked desperately around the courtroom.

"S-still, you have to believe me, _please_! I — I don't — _can't _— believe William did it. He isn't the type of person to kill another person in cold blood. He…He's innocent. Someone's trying to frame him. I just can't believe it; he was too good of a person for murder."

**_Noise Level:  
_****0%  
_Bye-Bye!_**

Athena sighed, feeling the adrenaline dissipate from her system.

_Finally! To be honest, I wouldn't have expected that out of him; I'm actually beginning to feel sad for him._

"Mr Starr, pleading the fifth on what you saw is simply going to be—" began Franziska, her eyes alert and her hand on her whip, still wary of the situation at hand.

Starr returned to his prim and proper demeanor, standing up straight and fixing his tie until there wasn't a single wrinkle present on it.

"Detrimental to William's case? Yes, it may be, but I don't care anymore. I can't do it. I just can't testify anymore. I want to go…for real this time," requested Starr. He shook his head slowly, bags under his eyes. "I-I'm not feeling all too well right now."

The Judge, looking up now from his stupor, cleared his throat. "I'd think it best, both for the witness's mental well-being and the overall length of this trial, if the witness leaves as soon as possible."

At this, Franziska couldn't bring herself to reply negatively. "Very well. Reginald Starr, you may take your leave."

Starr promptly turned on his heel and walked quickly out of the courtroom, letting out a deep sigh. He shared a small glance with Boye, who simply smiled awkwardly back at him, giving him a quick nod. Starr mirrored the expression, giving him a reluctant smile in return.

"Well now. Before you call up your next witness, Prosecutor von Karma, I don't think either side would object to a ten-minute recess?"

Franziska and Athena exchanged glances before both turned to face the Judge, who was holding his gavel in the air.

"No, Your Honor," rang from both sides of the courtroom.

The gavel slammed down.

* * *

**November 19, 2029 12:16 PM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby No. 7**

* * *

Athena sighed, sitting down onto the sofa the second she was out of the courtroom, allowing her body to relax into the cushions. Boye simply remained standing opposite her, an uncomfortable expression on his face. He fiddled with a button on his shirt, rubbing it with his right hand's index finger and thumb.

"Expected better?" asked Athena, looking away uncomfortably.. Her performance here was quite under the par, even by her usual standards.

"I — um — no — I—" sputtered Boye, clearly wishing that he wasn't there at that moment.

Athena palmed her face, letting out her disappointment in a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be that aggressive… I was just..."

She went quiet, unable to finish the statement.

Instead, she grabbed her reusable water bottle from her back and walked over to the small water dispenser, filling it with cold water. She gulped it all down in an attempt to ease the uncertainty pooling in her stomach. She took in a deep breath and let it go, feeling the air moving in and out.

_...Part of the job of being an attorney is to put on a brave face. How can I even call myself that if I'm more afraid of the outcome than my client is?_

Boye stood still, not uttering a word, when Athena went and grabbed his shoulder. His head shot up faster than a gunslinger drawing his gun, looking in surprise at the girl in front of him.

Athena smiled, her eyes glowing with an intense resolution.

"Don't worry, Mr Boye. I've got this. I believe in your innocence."

Boye suddenly looked down, his eyes screwed shut tight. "...Ms Cykes—"

But before he could continue, the bailiff standing near the door spoke up.

"Recess is over. Please make your way back to the courtroom."

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

_**Attorney's Badge:**_** This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Autopsy Report:**_** 11/18, 10:30-11:30 AM; Cause of Death: Death due to asphyxiation. Notes that stab wounds found on the body are post-mortem.**

_**Bloody Footprints:**_** A set of Bloody Footprints leading to the elevator that I found in the hallway outside the victim's room.**

_**Crime Scene Photos:**_** The victim is lying face-up on the right side of the bed, which has blood underneath the body. He appears to have been stabbed and strangled to death.**

_**Bloody Knife:**_** A bloody knife found stuck in the victim's chest.**

_**Scarf:**_** Scarf found tied around the victim's neck extremely tightly.**

_**Drawer:**_** An empty drawer in the victim's room. The police labeled it as evidence.**

_**Key:**_** A key to the closet in Mr Abaddon's room dropped by Ms Libidine.**

_**Blackout Record:**_** There was a blackout in this hotel from around 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM. The hotel's main systems, such as elevators and rooms lost power.**

_**Blood-stained Pantyhose:**_** One of Ms Libidine's pantyhose which were found in the closet with blood on its knees.**

_**Weights:**_** The victim attempted to lift 250 pounds prior to his death. He had an accident with this.**

_**Old Wireless Earphones:**_** A set of wireless earphones that came out over a decade ago. The logo isn't visible.**

_**Phone:**_** A phone which has a playlist of ABBA music and also what looks like a picture of the victim's family.**

_**Boye's Testimony: **_**"I handed my pen over to that French lady in the morning when she was running out of the hotel and said she needed it; she didn't give it back. Nobody else saw it, fortunately for me; employees are encouraged to keep their pens on them at all times."**

_**Locket and Ring: **_**A locket and wedding ring belonging to the victim; it was found in Mr Boye's employee locker.**

**Profiles:**

_**Phoenix Wright (age 37):**_** An excellent defense attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model, but he isn't here right now.**

_**William Boye (age 39):**_** The head bellboy of the establishment, who was arrested for murder. He's my client.**

_**Alexander Abaddon (age 44):**_** An international prosecutor who was working with Franziska von Karma in an investigation. He was killed in his hotel room.**

_**Reggie Starr (age 46):**_ **The receptionist of the hotel who seems to hate my client for some reason.**

_**Franziska von Karma (age 29):**_** A famous international prosecutor from Germany, who aids Interpol in their investigations when they're out of their league.**

_**Dick Gumshoe (age 42):**_** A very large man who's the Chief of Police. He took over this investigation for some reason.**

_**Selene Libidine (age 38): **_**She is the victim, Alexander Abaddon's, colleague. She seems to be in a bad emotional state. Could there be something going on between them?**

_**Jim Leeder (age 35):**_** He's the trainer for the Gatewater Imperial Hotel's gym. Very tough and irritable.**

_**Mahina Bones (age 22**_**): She's a woman I met who has a muscle disorder. She's nice and told me tons of important information.**

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the late chapter today; I had to do the SAT today and I only got out around one o'clock. I hope that you enjoyed it! I sure did writing it; Have a great week!**


	17. The Hospitable Turnabout - Part 7

**Trial - Day 1 - Part 4**

* * *

**November 19, 2029 1:35 PM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 3**

* * *

The gavel slammed, bringing the loud room to order once more.

"Court is now back in session for the trial of William Boye."

Franziska crossed her arms over her chest, as calm as the peaceful sea. "The prosecution is ready."

Athena smiled, attempting in vain to reignite the embers of her own self-confidence. "The defense is…also ready."

"Ms von Karma, could you please call in your next witness?"

"The prosecution calls Ms Selene Libidine onto the witness stand," said Franziska, extending her right hand.

Athena's body turned into stone as soon as she heard the name; nearly as tense as Junie's trial, but maybe not as much, considering this wasn't her first rodeo. She stood up straighter, looking at the open courtroom door with nothing more than an impending apprehension which threatened to eat her whole.

She didn't even know what she was nervous about or if she was even nervous at all. If she _was_ nervous, then she was doing a really good job of hiding it, because no one else seemed to have realized it.

As the door opened, the curvy figure of Selene Libidine came into view, causing many of the people in the gallery to gasp loudly.

_Oh no, she's already convinced them. I'm so screwed — not in that way!_

Libidine didn't even look at Athena as she came down from the doorway, the hem of her black half-skirt billowing behind her like a flag in the wind as she walked down to the witness stand.

Though she did, eventually, turn to give Athena a cold glare, which she simply returned in force. Libidine waited to be acknowledged, arms crossed over her chest, tapping her red heels on the floor with the speed of a galloping horse. Luckily for Athena, she also seemed to have cooled noticeably, less resembling the emotional train-wreck she was the day before.

"Name and occupation please, witness," said Franziska, in a robotic tone.

"Selene Libidine. International Prosecutor," she answered curtly, her French accent clearly punctuating the words. Sheran a hand through her curly blonde hair, pulling it behind her back. This elicited quiet murmuring from the gallery.

Franziska looked at her with a slight curiosity before scanning over her documents, looking for the record of her earlier conversation with her. "As I take it, you were the first person to discover the body."

"Zat is correct, yes."

Libidine nodded, bored out of her skull, before she dove into her yellow handbag, which stood out harshly with her mostly monotone dress. She shook her head — sighing quietly as she closed her bag, unable to find whatever she was looking for — and turned back to Franziska.

_Someone doesn't seem to have any fashion sense… Wait a sec, all I wear _is_ yellow…_

"_Ha!"_

Libidine looked around, trying to find the source of the noise, but eventually gave up, probably thinking it was someone in the gallery.

"And you claim to have seen William Boye leaving the crime scene?"

"Yes, I did."

"Of course you did! I don't even need a reply seeing that knowing look upon your face!"

Libidine opened her mouth to begin an explanation when…

"_The look of a clueless fool, more like!"_ exclaimed Widget.

"Who in ze 'ell was zat?! I know I 'eard it zis time!" asked Libidine, as she looked around wildly for the rude voice with a wide-eyed glare.

Then, her glare refocused upon Athena, who hadn't even moved to correct Widget as she usually did. The anger from the previous day had returned to Libidine's expression — maybe even worse than that.

"Was it you, little girl?"

Athena didn't reply for a short moment, thoroughly enjoying Libidine's sizzling for a while before she said, "No, it was Widget, Ms Libidine. He's my robot."

"_I'm not yours! I don't belong to anybody! I'm my own robot, ya hear?!"_

Ugh, it was just _so_ Widget-like to ruin a cool moment; maybe Aura would remove his speaker if Athena bugged her enough. Though with Aura being, well, _Aura_, that was very unlikely.

Wiping the sweat resting on her forehead, she deadpanned, "…Loud and clear, sir. Would you like that served with more salt?"

"_I'll take an order of microchips, thank you very much!"_

The Judge smiled, opening his mouth to request something of the bailiff, before Franziska, thankfully, cleared her throat. "Getting back on topic, now; what were you about to say, Selene Libidine?"

"I 'ave seen zis man serving my colleague while we were staying at ze Gatewater Imperial 'otel. 'e was ze _only_ one who could 'ave killed Mr Abaddon," said Libidine, jabbing her left index finger at Boye with the force of a speeding truck. Boye squirmed like a worm in his seat at the sudden motion.

"I see," said Franziska, nodding. "Can you please begin your testimony, Ms Libidine?"

* * *

Witness Testimony

-Entering America-

1) Mr Abaddon was my best friend and colleague, though I live and work in France and 'e in Germany.

2) 'e called me to tell me zat 'e was going to America to investigate a case with Prosecutor von Karma and asked me if I wanted to accompany 'im.

3) When we arrived at ze 'otel, 'e suggested we book rooms near each other for ze sake of convenience.

4) Then, when we were about to leave to our rooms, zis man, William Boye, came to us and said 'e would serve Mr Abaddon to ze best of 'is abilities.

5) I should 'ave suspected it then: 'e was planning to murder Alexander.

* * *

"Ms Cykes, are you ready to begin your cross-examination?" asked the Judge, looking over at her.

_**Hold It!**_

"Wait a moment, Your Honor!" Franziska put up a hand. "The prosecution as a request. A consequential one which may impact this trial."

"What is your request, Prosecutor von Karma?" asked the Judge, raising an eyebrow as he turned to look at her.

"The witness has requested that her cross-examination be shortened due to the trauma of the case at hand." Franziska pushed her glasses, which had slid down, up her nose as she spoke.

"Shortened?"

"Yes, as I am an international prosecutor, I know many of ze intricacies of zis country's courts. I request zat—"

"You weren't allowed to speak as of yet, witness. Let me inform them," said Franziska, giving her a pointed look. "If Athena Cykes is unable to find a single contradiction in any of this witness' testimonies, then this trial is to be declared over and she is to be let go. Taking this into consideration, I will give you another choice, Athena Cykes."

"That seems like a fair bargain," said the Judge, nodding.

"And what's that choice?"

"Do you wish to continue with this cross-examination? You can choose to end it—"

"No."

"Pardon me. I didn't quite hear you," said Franziska, looking at Athena.

_Oh, you heard me perfectly clear alright._

Athena shook her head slowly, her eyes still closed. When she opened them, a defiant gleam overtook her eyes as her lips curved into a resolute smile. "The defense will continue the cross-examination, but thank you for the offer."

"Very well," said Franziska, closing her eyes as she pursed her lips. "If that's how you want to go at it…"

Cross-Examination

-Entering America-

1) Mr Abaddon was my best friend and colleague, though I live and work in France and 'e in Germany.

_**Hold It!**_

"How did you two manage to strike up a friendship across that distance?" asked Athena. "It would be pretty difficult to do that, right?"

"No, it isn't, little girl," said Libidine, chuckling and shaking her head. Smirking malevolently, she said, "I've looked into you over ze course of last night. Ze records say you moved to and studied in Europe, correct?"

_Clever girl…So _that's_ why she ran away from me…_

"…That's right…" said Athena, a strange feeling making its way into her stomach. Why was _she_ the one answering questions anyway? Wasn't this _her_ cross-examination?

_Where's she going with this?_

"Then you should be familiar with the bi-annual European Union Prosecutorial Enhancement Convention," said Libidine, grinning widely. "It was only mentioned several hundred times in English textbooks _from basic law school_."

_…Of course I won't remember that after all this time. How can _anyone_ remember that?_

"C-could someone please explain more?"

_"Someone less rude, she means!" _notified Widget.

_Why does he always have to go and make things worse than it already is?_

Franziska elaborated, adding, "Showing up is optional and it only lasts for three days in Brussels. Nonetheless, many prosecutors from all around Europe, particularly those working in Germany, the United Kingdom, and France, attend. I suspect that these two made their acquaintance at one of these events."

"Would someone tell me what exactly it is, though?" asked Athena, still not remembering learning about the meeting in any of her classes.

"You did not allow me to finish," said Franziska, narrowing her eyes in slight indignation. "It is a means to combat corruption in the judicial system of any country in the European Union and its economic areas. We meet and discuss the problems, suggesting reforms to the Commission. It was only enacted about a decade ago, seeing the various problems within the law here at the time."

"How do you know so much about it?"

"I am one of its heads, of course; I lead the convention's Anti-Corruption Task Force," said Franziska, curtseying to a round of applause. Pride shone in her face as she accepted it, with it reaching a crescendo; eventually, though regretfully, she held up a hand to call the boisterous ovation to a finish.

_And I never get a single clap…_

Athena remained silent, digesting this information before she turned her head back to Libidine. Just as she was about to speak — the syllables of the words she was forming on the tip of her tongue — however…

"Would anyone care to tell me what happened there?" said the Judge blearily, his eyes showing that he was only half-awake.

"Nothing consequential, but we have established how the victim met the witness and struck up a friendship."

He yawned, stretching himself out in his chair before bringing up a hand to wave it in front of his mouth. "Good. Thank you for that."

_Something tells me he's just faking it…_

Athena shook her head in exasperation, before continuing on to her next question. "So why did you choose to come here now?"

2) 'e called me to tell me zat 'e was going to America to investigate a case with Prosecutor von Karma and asked me if I wanted to accompany 'im.

_**Hold It!**_

"So he invited you along to investigate? And you didn't consider any of that strange?"

"What about it is strange in the slightest? My best friend invited me to help 'im and I accepted," replied Libidine, shrugging. "I fail to see anything wrong…"

Athena slammed her hands onto her bench, glaring at Libidine. "He already had Ms von Karma investigating with him! Why would he need to bring _you_ along?"

Libidine frowned, focusing on Athena with a glare, her head leaning back slightly. She crossed her arms even tighter over her chest, tapping her foot onto the ground as fast as a tap dancer. "What exactly are you trying to imply, little girl? Are you trying to say zat I am useless?"

_No, you said that…_

Athena slumped forward, looking expressionlessly at Libidine. "N-no, I'm not. I'm just saying that with Ms von Karma at his side, he wouldn't have needed extra help."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your questioning, Athena Cykes, but I never said that he couldn't bring along co-investigators if necessary," explained Franziska, leaning on the bench as she shook her finger, smiling smugly.

"You didn't say that earlier!"

Franziska shrugged. "You never asked about it. Thus I felt no obligation to tell you."

Athena, sweating, turned to Libidine. "Please continue, witness."

3) When we arrived at ze 'otel, 'e suggested we book rooms near each other for ze sake of convenience.

_**Hold It!**_

"Why would it be convenient for either of you to be near each other?"

At this, Libidine blushed the faintest pink, nearly unnoticeable unless Athena looked at her as closely as Apollo would in his perceiving state. Opening her bag once again, she quickly pulled out a stick of red lipstick and, applying it, she pursed her lips to spread them before continuing.

Shrugging, she said, "Well, it was for ze best. I could wake 'im if it ze need arose."

_Do you really need that much makeup?_

_ Speak for yourself, Athena 'I don't wear makeup' Cykes… Wait, why do I always do this?_

"That's not too strong of a reason, Ms Libidine…" said Athena.

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Stop attempting to lead the witness, defense," said Franziska. She turned her gaze to the Judge as quick as lightning. "Your Honor, this is simply a ridiculous attempt by the defense to get the witness to admit to something they find beneficial to their cause."

"I agree," asked the Judge. The Judge turned to Athena, glaring, "Is there any merit to this line of questioning, Ms Cykes?"

"There is, Your Honor…" said Athena. "The defense is simply attempting to put together the pieces of the case."

"This isn't a good reason, Athena Cykes!" exclaimed Franziska. "Provide a more concrete answer, please."

'_**old It!**_

"… You know what? Let the little girl 'ave 'er tiny victory," said Libidine, smirking as she looked at Athena.

"What?!" asked Franziska, grinding her teeth. But she couldn't stop her from testifying.

_"Somebody's a bit cranky, aren't they?"_ commented Widget.

_Two uncooperative witnesses in a row! Although this one is doing it out of a vendetta against me…_

"Your 'onor, I will answer what ze defense asks of me!"

"Strange…" mumbled the Judge as he ran a finger through his beard. "Very strange indeed…"

"_Excusez-moi_, what did you say?" she asked.

_I almost forgot others can't hear like me…_

"I said it was strange that you would deny the prosecution's advice," said the Judge, turning to her, "Most witnesses normally—"

He shook his head quickly, lest he suffer Franziska's wrath. "Never mind, please just answer the question asked of you. What was it again, Ms Cykes?"

Athena repeated her question, making it more clear. "Why was it 'convenient' that you two were near each other?"

"Alexander _did _mention something about zere being another reason…" Libidine remained quiet for a long stretch of time, seconds stretching into minutes, covering her mouth with a hand, rubbing at her cheek with a finger, her eyes looking up thoughtfully. She looked back to Athena before replying.

"We could come together and talk about our investigation results. It allowed us to plan what we could do next in ze investigation. Zis is what I recall."

"Thank you. Now, did _you_ ever have to go into the victim's room?"

"No, I never went into Alexander's room while we stayed at ze 'otel. Why would I need to? We only stayed zere for one night."

Athena's mouth gaped. "What?"

_They only got in the previous night?!_

Libidine smiled, giving a nod. "I even 'ave ze record right here—"

She paused, opening her handbag and digging through it. She produced a small slip of paper and handed it to the bailiff who gave it to the Judge.

Pulling out his glasses once again, the Judge read through the receipt. "…Rooms 1336 and 1337 were booked by the victim and Ms Libidine on the seventeenth of November at around 9:00 PM."

**Hotel Invoice added to Court Record.**

"So you never went into his room, right?"

"Correct."

"Please add that to your testimony, Ms Libidine," requested Athena.

4) I 'ave never gone into Alexander's room during our stay.

5) Then, when we were about to leave to our rooms, zis man, William Boye, came to us and said 'e would serve Mr Abaddon to ze best of 'is abilities.

_**Hold It!**_

"…Unsolicited?"

"Sorry, but I am not interested," said Libidine. She looked Athena up and down very sharply, her eyes narrowing as she smiled in disdain, adding, "_Especially_ not by ze likes of _you_."

"Sorry?" asked Athena, her eyebrow raised. As confused as a rat in a maze, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"I was very clear."

_Wait, what — oh… I guess that did sound a bit iffy…_

Sweating buckets onto the defense's bench, Athena asked, "Let me rephrase that. Did he come to you without any prior warning?"

Libidine nodded. "Yes, zat's correct. 'e came as soon as we were about to enter ze elevator the previous night."

"…Didn't Mr Abaddon ask for someone to serve him?"

"What do you mean?" asked Libidine, raising an eyebrow, looking in confusion at Athena. "I do not recall 'im ever going to speak with ze management for something like man simply surprised him with ze service."

_And _there_ goes my theory…_

"Why do you think he accepted anyways?" asked Athena.

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Irrelevant." Franziska whipped the bench under her and quickly turned her attention to Libidine. "Continue, please."

_I guess that it was pretty irrelevant in retrospect…_

"Ms Libidine, could you please repeat your fourth statement?"

4) I 'ave never gone into Alexander's room during our stay.

_**OBJECTION!**_

"So, you 'never went into 'is room,' huh?" asked Athena, purposefully mimicking her voice as she loaded Libidine's testimony onto Widget.

"Are you insulting my accent?" Libidine face became set in a scowl which threatened to be frozen onto it forever. He teeth bared and eyes narrowed, she snarled, "Of course not! We were only zere one night before William Boye decided to kill 'im! And for zat, 'e deserves punishment of ze 'ighest degree."

Athena shook her head, smirking. "I'm sorry, Ms Libidine, but that explanation isn't going to work here."

"Wh-What?"

"Your Honor, I want you to take a look at this key!" exclaimed Athena, pointing to the evidence display.

Libidine's eyes widened as her breathing began to pick up in pace. "Wh-Where did you find zat?!"

Franziska seemed unconcerned by this piece of evidence; on the contrary, she seemed quite prepared for it. "What about it?"

"This is a key to the close in the victim's bedroom. I found that it was in the possession of Ms Libidine the previous night," explained Athena, smirking.

"And so? What does it prove?" asked Franziska, ignoring the practically hyperventilating Libidine on the witness stand.

Athena slammed her hands onto the defense's bench. Jabbing her finger at Libidine, she said, "It proves that the Ms Libidine _had _been into the victim's room prior to the murder. Where else would she have gotten it?"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Ah-ah-ah. You forgot one thing, Athena Cykes," stated Franziska, shaking a finger and shaking her head in disappointment as though she was speaking to a child. "The victim could simply have given it to her; that's an appropriate explanation for this key appearing with the witness."

"Ah, but _you_ just pointed out a major inconsistency, Ms von Karma," said Athena, smirking, turning to the side.

Franziska froze as suddenly as the snap of a whip, looking at Athena with the curiosity of a cat. "And that is…?"

Athena slammed a fist onto her bench, drinking in the satisfaction of crushing a lie. "The fact that the victim gave her the key in the first place! Why would he hand her something that belongs to his room unless she had been into his room before?"

"…I concede your point," said Franziska, as calm as a cloudless sky. Opening her eyes with a radiating condescending, she asked, "Yet, what exactly does that prove? She could simply have gone in there and taken the key in case the victim needed it."

"Yes, 'e 'ad a tendency to drink when 'e was out sometimes, so 'e entrusted me to keep 'is key," said Libidine quietly, looking away from the court.

"That she _had_ been inside the victim's apartment. This shows that she just lied to this court. And why would she do that?" asked Athena. Slamming her hands onto the bench, she pointed at Libidine. "It's because she's trying to hide something major!"

"And what would that be?"

"Umm…_pass?_" said Athena, trying to shrug off her leap of logic with a gigantic, nervous smile. But if Franziska thought her contradiction wasn't enough, then…then her cross-examination was over. This had to be enough.

It just had to be.

Libidine covered her mouth as she broke out in barely controlled laughter. She doubled over, very nearly collapsing onto the floor. Even Franziska and the Judge's lips went up in a small smile, though not nearly as noticeably as Libidine herself. After a while, she managed to regain some measure of composure, though the grin never quite left her face.

After a time, Franziska turned to Libidine, who seemed completely unaffected by this turn of events, still snickering.

"…Witness, please testify about the murder. Let's simply move this cross-examination forward. Unlike the defense, we don't have all day to spend in here; some of us have responsibilities to get to…"

_Like what? Sitting and talking to Simon in his office? Actually, scratch that. That _is_ a responsibility in-and-of-itself._

"_What?!_" She exclaimed in disbelief, all traces of humor vanishing from her face. "Zis little girl didn't find any contradictions in my testimony! I thought we 'ad a deal, so why are you letting zis continue?"

"She _did_ find a contradiction in your testimony, if you remember correctly, Ms Libidine."

Athena quirked an eyebrow in confusion. She had heard discord in the statement — a slight amount of anger.

Libidine looked away in frustration. "Fine… I'll do it."

_Maybe you should have been quiet back there, Ms Libidine._

* * *

Witness Testimony

\- Ze Day of ze Murder-

1) On ze day of ze murder, I left my room zat morning to go out.

2) I went out around 8:40, enjoying a nice day shopping, only returning over two and a 'alf 'ours later, around 11:25.

3) It turns out zat I 'ad forgotten a very important item; I forgot zat it was going to be a cold morning.

4) When I returned, I went into my room and, suddenly, 'eard a sudden and loud noise from ze room adjacent to me.

5) When I opened ze door, I…I saw Alexander lying in a pool of blood!

6) And I also saw zat bastard leaving the room just as quickly.

* * *

"And zat is all, Your 'onor," said Libidine.

_Discord…_

"Thank you very much, witness," said the Judge, nodding. "Would the defense like to cross-examine the witness?"

"Before that, I would like to psychologically analyze them," said Athena. "There was some discord in her testimony."

"Discord…?" asked Libidine, a faint recognition in her face. "What's zat?"

"Discord is what occurs when your emotions and your words don't match up. It means that you're trying to conceal a lie. Either consciously, as I suspect here, or unknowingly," explained Athena.

"…So you're saying that I have mental problems?" asked Libidine, glaring daggers into Athena.

_Although I would love to, that'd be too rude, even for me._

"No. All I'm saying is that I can help you deal with the stress and trauma from the murder," said Athena.

"The court accepts this use of analytical psychology. You may begin your cross-examination, Ms Cykes," said the Judge, slamming his gavel onto its sound block.

Athena activated Widget, which immediately showed her that she was in the danger zone in terms of noise.

_**Noise Level:  
100%**_

* * *

Cross-Examination

Psychoanalysis

-Ze Day of ze Murder-

1) On ze day of ze murder, I left my room zat morning to go out.

_Libidine leaves a room, a solid smile on her face. She's feeling extremely gleeful and giddy, apparently for no reason._

**Joy**, Distress, Anger, Shock

2) I went out around 8:40, enjoying a nice day shopping, only returning over two and an 'alf 'ours later, around 11:25.

_She leaves the hotel and comes back later, carrying a few bags filled with various items._

**Joy**, Distress, **Anger**, Shock

3) It turns out zat I 'ad forgotten a very important item; I forgot zat it was going to be a cold morning.

_Libidine feels around her neck as she's outside and eventually a chilly breeze passes by her, causing her to shiver._

Joy, **Distress**, Anger, Shock

4) When I returned, I went into my room and, suddenly, 'eard a sudden and loud noise from ze room adjacent to me.

_Libidine opens the door to her room and looks at the door with wide eyes, stepping near it to hear more._

Joy, Distress, **Anger**, **Shock**

5) When I opened ze door, I…I saw Alexander lying in a pool of blood!

_The victim lies in a pool of his own blood, the knife found stabbed onto his front side._

Joy, **Distress**, Anger, **Shock**

6) And I also saw zat bastard leaving the room just as quickly.

_Boye runs away from the crime scene, opening the door and leaving._

Joy, **Distress**, **Anger**, **Shock**

* * *

_Some things here just aren't right._

1) On ze day of ze murder, I left my room zat morning to go out.

_Libidine leaves a room, a solid smile on her face. She's feeling extremely gleeful and giddy, apparently for no reason._

**Joy**, Distress, Anger, Shock

_**Got It!**_

** "**Ms Libidine, when you said that you left your room that morning," began Athena, looking up as she played with her yellow moon-shaped earrings. "you registered an immense amount of joy…Why is that?"

"…Joy…?" breathed Libidine, leaning forward, her mouth agape and her eyes wide. "I do not know why."

Franziska shook her head with a nigh imperceptible snort. "It could be any multitude of things, Athena Cykes. Maybe she particularly liked the weather, or she could have seen one of her favorite TV shows."

"Personally, I prefer _La Vie en Rose_," said Libidine. "It was god-damn perfection; it made me cry."

_Quoi?_

Franziska looked at her with — what looked to be — marginal disapproval. "Irrelevant, witness."

Then, turning back to Athena, she added, "As you can see, as there is no evidence to the contrary, the reason for the witness being happy while she left the hotel room is irrelevant to this case."

Athena grimaced, looking down at her bench, her mind a sheet of paper; this was _exactly_ where she wanted to end up.

_Not!_

She was internally screaming; trying to maintain a brave face meanwhile the prosecutor was skirting past your arguments with near complete ease was proving to be one of the hardest things she had ever done.

Athena would have to investigate more thoroughly into it if she managed to get an extension which — at least at the moment — wasn't looking to be a real possibility. Why would Libidine be so damn giddy while she was leaving _her_ room?

_What would the Boss do? Think, Athena, think! He would be smiling and telling me to think outside the box. Now, how do you think outside the box this time…? _

_Wait…what if I _literally_ think outside the box…what if it wasn't _her _room at all…?_

"…What if it wasn't her room at all…?" whispered Athena, as quiet as a mouse, her eyes wide at her sudden realization.

"Pardon me?" asked the Judge.

_ …How damn old is — Ugh, there are some questions this universe doesn't want answered._

Athena opened up Widget's evidence notes, frantically searching for any piece of evidence she could use.

Finally, she found it: the black pantyhose; not specifically the bloodstained one, but the ones without bloodstains. She hadn't found it in Libidine's room; instead, it was found in the victim's room, which meant that Libidine had been into the victim's room before the incident.

_**Take That!**_

"What are those?" asked the Judge, his eyes as narrow as a twig.

Libidine's eyes were suddenly large blue plates set on her face, her cheeks burning red with insuppressible embarrassment. Through gritted teeth, she sputtered through many unintelligible phrases, unable to select something specific to say. "What — where — 'ow — when?"

Franziska looked at the screen imperiously, her eyes narrowing as she scanned over the evidence on display. Eventually, recognizing the offending item, she turned a light pink as well. "Well, I'll say…"

"Say what?" asked a smirking Athena.

"Those are…tights. Or what you call here pantyhose…" Franziska identified, as slowly and awkwardly as a bull in a china shop, wincing in slight humiliation.

"Exactly," said Athena, smirking with growing confidence. "These are some black pantyhose I discovered at the scene of the crime. Guess exactly who they belong to?"

Franziska leaned back, standing up straight, closing her eyes, her arms crossed over her chest as tight as a belt. "…The witness, by the way you're going about it…"

"That's right, Ms von Karma! You actually _can_ make logical inferences." Ignoring the furious glare on Franziska's face, Athena looked toward the witness stand and steamed on ahead.

"Now then, witness, what do you have to say for yourself? You'd been in the room that night, am I right?" she asked, directing an accusatory finger toward Libidine, an unwavering glare making its way onto her face.

_**OBJECTION!**_

Franziska whipped the table under her, the crack echoing in the halls of the courtroom. "Those could have been placed there any time!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"No, Ms von Karma, they could not!" Athena dismissed, slamming her fist onto the defense's bench, and then pointed her hand at the display, which currently showed the hotel receipt.

Shooting a furious scowl at Libidine, she explained, "The witness herself gave us proof that they were only there for one night! If this is true, then it had to have been placed there the previous night! Witness, answer the question — w_hy — were — you — there?!_"

Franziska remained silent, slightly taken aback by the intensity with which Athena posed her question, her eyes as alert as a watchful meerkat. She put a hand to her chin, curious to see where this was going.

"I-I-I…" Libidine began, her voice unsteady as she gripped the top of her dress tightly; her face was as white as a sheet, before flushing into colors Athena never thought possible for a normal person — red, blue, and even purple were seen on her face. "I…umm…"

"Well?" asked Athena, ignoring Libidine's blubbering and focusing onto her with an intense expression. "Explain this, witness."

"Please no…" she requested quietly, unable to speak as her face finally stuck to bright red. "I…I plead the fifth…"

Athena slammed her fists onto the bench, gnashing her teeth; her anger was revealed by Widget, which went a deep red. "That brings you under suspicion Ms Libidine. If you don't say it now, then I'll tell the entire courtroom what's happening. It can't be hidden forever!"

"What are you talking about, Athena Cykes?" asked Franziska, narrowing her eyes, her voice tense.

Athena remained silent, refusing to answer until Libidine had said her part. Her eyes were shooting determined flames into Libidine, who looked down. Libidine fiddled with the hem of her dress for a few minutes, before looking up decidedly and taking in a deep breath.

"Fine, I'll tell you my secret. I am — or _was_, zanks to zis bastard — Alexander Abaddon's girlfriend."

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

_**Attorney's Badge:**_** This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Autopsy Report:**_** 11/18, 10:30-11:30 AM; Cause of Death: Death due to asphyxiation. Notes that stab wounds found on the body are post-mortem.**

_**Bloody Footprints:**_** A set of Bloody Footprints leading to the elevator that I found in the hallway outside the victim's room.**

_**Crime Scene Photos:**_** The victim is lying face-up on the right side of the bed, which has blood underneath the body. He appears to have been stabbed and strangled to death.**

_**Bloody Knife:**_** A bloody knife found stuck in the victim's chest.**

_**Scarf:**_** Scarf found tied around the victim's neck extremely tightly.**

_**Drawer:**_** An empty drawer in the victim's room. The police labeled it as evidence.**

_**Key:**_** A key to the closet in Mr Abaddon's room dropped by Ms Libidine.**

_**Blackout Record:**_** There was a blackout in this hotel from around 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM. The hotel's main systems, such as elevators and rooms lost power.**

_**Blood-stained Pantyhose:**_** One of Ms Libidine's pantyhose which were found in the closet with blood on its knees.**

_**Weights:**_** The victim attempted to lift 250 pounds prior to his death. He had an accident with this.**

_**Old Wireless Earphones:**_** A set of wireless earphones that came out over a decade ago. The logo isn't visible.**

_**Phone:**_** A phone which has a playlist of ABBA music and also what looks like a picture of the victim's family.**

_**Boye's Testimony: **_**"I handed my pen over to that French lady in the morning when she was running out of the hotel and said she needed it; she didn't give it back. Nobody else saw it, fortunately for me; employees are encouraged to keep their pens on them at all times."**

_**Locket and Ring: **_**A locket and wedding ring belonging to the victim; it was found in Mr Boye's employee locker.**

_**Hotel Invoice: **_**A record by the hotel which shows that Ms Libidine and Mr Abaddon both booked their rooms the night before the murder.**

**Profiles:**

_**Phoenix Wright (age 37):**_** An excellent defense attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model, but he isn't here right now.**

_**William Boye (age 39):**_** The head bellboy of the establishment, who was arrested for murder. He's my client.**

_**Alexander Abaddon (age 44):**_** An international prosecutor who was working with Franziska von Karma in an investigation. He was killed in his hotel room.**

_**Reggie Starr (age 46):**_ **The receptionist of the hotel who seems to hate my client for some reason.**

_**Franziska von Karma (age 29):**_** A famous international prosecutor from Germany, who aids Interpol in their investigations when they're out of their league.**

_**Dick Gumshoe (age 42):**_** A very large man who's the Chief of Police. He took over this investigation for some reason.**

_**Selene Libidine (age 38): **_**She is the victim, Alexander Abaddon's, colleague. She seems to be in a bad emotional state. Could there be something going on between them?**

_**Jim Leeder (age 35):**_** He's the trainer for the Gatewater Imperial Hotel's gym. Very tough and irritable.**

_**Mahina Bones (age 22**_**): She's a woman I met who has a muscle disorder. She's nice and told me tons of important information.**

* * *

**A/N: Hey there readers!** **I wanted to let you know that there won't be another update for the next two Saturdays, but I'll be back after that (so, the next chapter's on the 29th of June). It's mostly to get ahead in writing. I'll be back; don't you worry! Have a great couple of weeks! :)**

**Update: Extended to July 6th due to a family vacation.**


	18. The Hospitable Turnabout - Part 8

**A/N: A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. More author's notes at the end.**

* * *

**Trial - Day 1 - Part 5**

* * *

**November 19, 2029 ****2:12**** PM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 3**

* * *

"Wh-Wh-Wh-_Whaaaaaaaat?!_" Franziska reeled, thrown back in surprise for the first time in this case, her teeth gritted tightly. She gripped herself so hard that it could have left marks on her skin and began to sweat as she supported herself on her bench.

Upon regaining some semblance of control, she clumsily pounded her fist onto the bench, glaring at Libidine as though betrayed.

"What do you mean, his girlfriend?! I was never made aware of this!"

Libidine shrugged and shook her head — looking with curiosity at the reactions of both Franziska and Athena — seeming to be confused by all the shock.

Athena smiled watching the chaos unfold. The exhilarating feeling of getting a confession out of a particularly tricky witness always did the trick for her self-confidence, making her feel like she was completely ready for the job ahead of her.

She stood, watching the shocked response of the gallery, which erupted into conversation and the Judge, whose jaw dropped so low Athena was frightened it would dislocate.

Most satisfying of all to watch was Franziska's reaction, of course. She'd finally managed to surprise her.

"You were his _girlfriend?"_ The Judge blurted out, leaning forward toward Libidine.

Libidine nodded, unsettled, before changing the subject in a hurry. "D-Do I continue my testimony?"

"Yes, Ms Libidine. I want to continue your psycho-analysis," insisted Athena, ignoring the Judge and the gallery.

When she turned to Franziska, on the other hand, she saw that the latter had once again regained an adequate amount of control over herself, standing up straight and tightening her jaw. She was completely on alert now; Athena knew that she had to be careful with where she was going. Franziska wasn't going to go easy on her anymore, that was for sure.

But she wasn't too scared anymore. In fact, she was raring to go, looking intently at Libidine. The Judge banged his gavel onto its sound block, bringing the gallery into order.

"Could you please tell us what you did that made you so happy that night then?" Athena questioned, not even caring about the bluntness of the statement.

"Well we embraced and watched television and then we—" Libidine stopped abruptly, burning red and snapped her head to the right, refusing to look at the court. She squeezed two ends of the hem of her skirt together tightly under the witness stand, rubbing them together and refusing to utter another word.

Athena prodded on, refusing to let her weasel out of this. "Hang on, you what?"

"We — erm — did — erm—" Libidine spluttered uncomfortably, looking away as she her cheeks flushed red.

"_Oh boy…_this_ took a wrong turn now, didn't it?_" commented Widget.

Athena — quickly reasoning what exactly had happened — jumped back in shock at her admission before leaning forward perspiring an ocean of cold sweat onto her bench, a deadpan set like clay onto her face. She then felt as sick as a dog who had eaten chocolate.

"Wh-What? You…You guys actually…"

In response, Libidine simply nodded, blushing until she could be mistaken for a tomato with a body. Her eyes screwed shut, she opened her bag and groped around, finally taking out a powder puff and dabbing it at her cheeks, attempting valiantly to fight away the redness now consuming her whole, but failing spectacularly, only causing her more embarrassment.

Franziska, on the other hand, somehow managed to look completely unconcerned by the revelation, though her face did lose its color somewhat. She remained silent, marginally tightening her grip on her bicep, which went unnoticed by everyone in the room. In fact, she looked more tired than shocked by this event, judging by the rather severe-looking lines present near her forehead.

The Judge looked confused. "D-Did what? What did you do?"

_You _seriously _did not ask that, did you, Your Honor?_

Libidine blushed and looked down as Athena fell further down onto her bench, until her head was on level with the wood.

"You…foolish…fool!" exclaimed Franziska, finally showing some emotion — an expression of pure chagrin was written into her face. Athena could hear her frustration at the Judge's naivety finally making itself known in her heart. Before the Judge could say anything else, Franziska reached for her whip, grabbing it off of her belt at the speed of sound.

"How could you even think to _ask_ that of a woman, _especially _when she's being watched on _television_?!"

The Judge's eyes turned into saucers as he tried to move out of the way, but it was too late. Athena winced, feeling horrible for the Judge's misfortune, as the first of Franziska's many furious blows and enraged snaps came and went. About ten times, Franziska whipped the unfortunate fellow, with him yelping like a wounded dog as each strike hit its mark.

"Don't you _dare_ ask that question again."

"B-but I didn't know what it meant; honestly!" exclaimed the Judge, looking down and pouting like a sad puppy.

Franziska looked up thoughtfully for a moment, tapping her chin slowly. Then, she looked up at the Judge with a lightly empathetic tone of voice. "If you truly don't get it, then I apologize for whipping you."

_"Remember kids, violence is never the answer…until it is…"_

_ Like that time I flipped a cop on Apollo. I should get a signed waiver before he starts holding it over me._

Flashing Athena a cold pointed stare for Widget's 'advice' — to which she only shook her head, giving a guilty smile — Franziska shook her head.

"I shall explain it to you. If what you said prior is true, you have a granddaughter correct?" she continued, her voice pompous and lightly demeaning — according to Athena, at least.

"Y-yes."

"And is that granddaughter from your son or your daughter?"

"It was my son."

"Then think about this. How did you have a son?"

The Judge looked up excitedly. "Oh, my wife went to the hospital and it took hours of—"

Franziska shook her head with an exasperated sigh. "Never mind that. What happened nine months prior to that?"

The Judge thought for a moment and opened his mouth to respond before immediately closing it again, his eyes wide. He finally seemed to have gotten what he was asking for and he quickly shut his eyes as tight as humanly possible, cringing visibly.

His mouth puckered — as though having tasted a lemon — unable to utter a word until he finally sputtered, "I-I see exactly who the witness is saying went down — I mean _what_ the witness is saying went down — erm — what _happened_ that night. Th-thank you for the clarification, Ms von Karma; I appreciate it."

_Poor Judge… but naivety does hurt sometimes. I learned _that_ the hard way…_

"But witness, there's still another question," noted Athena. "Why didn't you use your door? The door between your rooms? Wouldn't that have made more sense than using that than heading out?"

Libidine laughed, and then spoke, sarcasm present in her every word. "Of course ze little defence attorney didn't even investigate properly…"

_Say what now?_

"Wh-what?"

"If you'd looked at ze door between both of our rooms, you would have noted zat it was broken on 'is side!" exclaimed Libidine, pointing a finger accusingly at Athena. "I should have expected as much, though, coming from you…"

_That's interesting, if only it wasn't put through as a barb, though…_

Athena put up a finger, signaling to halt. Leaning onto her bench, drenched in sweat, she sputtered, "…C-Can we please stop insulting me?"

The question had barely left her mouth before Franziska, Libidine, the Judge, and the gallery all replied with a resounding "No."

"_I see how it is now. You're _all_ going on the list!_" exclaimed Widget.

_Isn't this being streamed or something…? At least _somebody's_ seeing my suffering…_

Instead opting to continue her psycho-analysis, Athena quickly moved through Widget's holographic screen, settling on the testimony editor. "So you spent the night together and that was why you were so happy that morning, am I understanding that correctly?"

Athena punched the addition into him as Libidine nodded, which changed the first statement.

_**Noise Level:  
55%**_

_Let's keep going, shall we?_

1) On ze morning of ze murder, I left Alexander's room to go out and sightsee.

_Libidine leaves Mr Abaddon's room, a solid smile on her face. She's feeling extremely gleeful and giddy, because of what had happened the previous night._

**Joy**, **Distress**, Anger, Shock

2) I went out around 8:40, enjoying a nice day shopping, only returning over two and an 'alf 'ours later, around 11:25.

_She leaves the hotel and comes back later, carrying a few bags filled with various items._

**Joy**, Distress, **Anger**, Shock

_Strange…there's a small amount of distress in the first statement and it seems to be connected to the anger in this one. Let's ask her about this one first._

_**Got It!**_

"Ms Libidine, when you said that you enjoyed a nice day shopping," said Athena, tapping through a few screens on Widget to refine her findings, "you felt anger and not just joy."

"Anger…?" puzzled Libidine, running a finger against her cheek. "What would I 'ave to feel angry about…?"

_That's a weird question to ask yourself…_

For a while, she made no noise, simply thinking. Then — as suddenly as the snap of a finger — she smacked herself on the forehead, leaving a slight red impression, which remained visible for quite some time. She winced lightly, but eventually grinned, though, as she chirped, "Oh, I remember it now! I was simply angry zat 'e didn't wish to come out and explore ze area with me."

_All that performance just for that?_

"You were angry Mr Abaddon didn't go out with you…?" asked Athena, playing with her crescent earring.

"Yes, before 'e fell asleep, 'e said 'e would think about it, but in ze morning, 'e completely refused, saying zat 'e 'ad to make a call to some 'is sister, do some work, and zen go to ze gymnasium for some training," she lamented, looking down to her feet. "Our final conversation ended on a 'orrible note…"

_I don't buy it, though; there's discord…_

"Could you add that to your testimony, please? As in, before the current statement?"

2) I 'ad an argument with Alexander about ze fact zat 'e wouldn't come out with me before I left 'is hotel room.

_Libidine shouts at Abaddon and he shouts back; eventually, she leaves the room._

Joy, **Distress**, **Anger**, Shock

_That's good._

_**Noise Level:  
15%**_

_Only a bit more left._

4) When I returned, I went into my room and, suddenly, 'eard a sudden and loud noise from room adjacent to me.

_Libidine opens the door to her room and looks at the door with wide eyes, stepping near it to hear more._

Joy, Distress, **Anger**, **Shock**

_**Got It!**_

"There's still one last emotion which is confusing me, Ms Libidine…" puzzled Athena, a hand on her chin. Looking closely at Libidine as though she could spot tells, she clarified, "You felt anger when you heard the loud noise. I would think, considering your situation, that you would only have felt shock."

"But zere's a perfectly good explanation for zat!" she exclaimed, flapping her arms in the air.

"Then, please, let us hear this explanation of yours," requested Franziska, also leaning into her with curiosity.

Libidine wriggled uncomfortably under this renewed scrutiny, throwing quick glances at both Franziska and Athena before looking back down.

"I thought he hadn't left his room the entire day. I…I was angry because I thought he lied to me…You remember, about going to exercise…" She gradually went silent once more, shooting a look at Franziska as though requesting a clue as to what to do. "He said his New Year's resolution was to exercise more, you know…"

_The heck does a New Year's resolution have to do with anything…?_

"That seems reasonable; I would also be quite angry — I regret to say — if my partner lied to me…" commented the Judge, running his hand through his beard, his eyes closed. "Ms von Karma, will that be enough?"

Franziska nodded curtly. "That will suffice, witness." Throwing an assenting glace to Athena, she said, "You may continue, Athena Cykes."

_**Noise Level:  
0%  
**__**Bye-Bye!**_

"I also think that's it for the psycho-analysis," notified Athena, finalizing her update of the new testimony and emotions onto Widget.

_There, that should be about it now._

"But I would also like a regular cross-examination on top of this," she added, her focus still on Widget.

"Why exactly, Ms Cykes?" demanded the Judge, gripping his gavel tightly, looking at her severely.

"Well, there's still a few questions left to answer and emotions won't cut it this time, Your Honor! The defense requests a normal cross-examination!"

"Ms von Karma, do you object to this?"

Franziska shook her head. "Why would I need to? It's the right of the defense to conduct the cross-examination, is it not? I will only object if it's to be going nowhere which, with Athena Cykes defending, I will no doubt be forced to do…"

"Bet you won't come over here and say that!" Athena exclaimed, glaring at her opponent with the ferocity of a tiger.

"No threats, Ms Cykes; I have told you this before!" scolded the Judge, glaring at Athena. "Begin your cross-examination immediately!"

"Yes, sir…" squeaked Athena as she looked down, as quiet as a mouse.

She worked her way through Widget, pressing back until he displayed Libidine's full edited testimony.

* * *

Witness Testimony

-Ze day of ze murder-

1) On ze morning of ze murder, I left Alexander's room to go out and sightsee.

2) I 'ad an argument with Alexander about ze fact zat 'e wouldn't come out with me before I left 'is hotel room.

3) I went out around 8:40, enjoying a nice day shopping, only returning over two and an 'alf 'ours later, around 11:25.

4) It turns out zat I 'ad forgotten a very important item; I forgot zat it was going to be a cold morning.

5) When I returned, I went into my room and, suddenly, 'eard a sudden and loud noise from room adjacent to me.

6) When I opened ze door, I…I saw Alexander lying in a pool of blood!

7) And I also saw zat bastard leaving the room just as quickly.

* * *

_Perfect. Now, let's go in order._

Cross-Examination

-Ze day of ze murder-

1) On ze morning of ze murder, I left Alexander's room to go out and sightsee.

_**Hold It!**_

"Why did you decide to go sightseeing on that specific day? Didn't you say before that you sensed something was wrong…?"

Franziska shook her head. "She very clearly meant in retrospect, Athena Cykes."

Athena slammed her hands onto her bench. "But that still doesn't answer—"

"I went out because it was a nice day and I'd already made ze plans to go out. I did notice something strange about ze bellboy when I was leaving, though."

Athena raised an eyebrow, looking at Boye and back at Libidine. "Oh? What do you mean?"

"'e was acting all suspicious, looking around like 'e didn't want to be watched. 'e was being very secretive," she mumbled, being very shifty herself to provide emphasis. She leaned forward, her torso almost touching the witness stand; her eyes moved around the courtroom like a cat looking out for any mice, focusing for an extra second upon Athena, but eventually going back to normal.

"So he was just standing around in your floor, watching out for other people?" Athena suggested.

"Yes, zat's what I recall," said Libidine, nodding. "'e said 'e was standing guard in case anyone was trying to 'invade our privacy' or something. I think 'e was planning to kill Alexander from ze beginning."

"So, he was just acting creepy overall?" Athena drawled, giving Boye a raised eyebrow Boye shrugged with an awkward, toothy smile that just signaled _'I _really_ don't want to be here right now…'_

"Yes."

Athena sighed, looking back at Libidine. "Please continue your testimony, witness."

3) I went out around 8:40, enjoying a nice day shopping, only returning over two and an 'alf 'ours later, around 11:25.

_**Hold It!**_

"When you came back, did you notice Mr Starr or Mr Boye standing around anywhere?" asked Athena.

"…No. It was suspicious zat zey weren't in zeir proper places," surmised Libidine, looking up in deep thought. "Usually, Mr Starr would be at ze front desk, so I was confused zat I did not see 'im anywhere."

_That was probably when he went upstairs to check on Mr Boye!_

"And Mr Boye?" Athena inquired.

"Well, I searched for 'im in the main reception 'all, but alas, it was impossible; l was unable to find 'im. I needed to see 'im because I 'ad something to do with 'im. But I guess 'e was already killing Alexander in 'is room," she said, looking down near the end.

"What did you want to do with him?"

She opened her mouth to speak. "I plead ze fifth."

"_What?!_ _Why?!_" yelped Athena, leaning toward Libidine with a menacing glare.

She shrugged, instead taking a pair of expensive-looking leather gloves out of her bag and putting them on. What use that had, Athena had no idea. Too look classy, maybe?

"A shrug isn't a proper answer, Ms Libidine!"

"But it's her right," Franziska chipped in, interjecting into their dialogue in a rough manner.

Athena couldn't deny that. Gnashing her teeth in abject frustration, she withdrew from the pointed retort she was pining to deliver, glaring daggers into the reproachful-looking Libidine. She was only throwing everyone in for a loop; Athena was sure of it.

She would have to ask other questions to get anywhere close to the truth. She couldn't give Libidine another inch, else she would be losing the case quicker than a rookie stuttering through his first objection.

Taking a deep breath and composing herself, she attempted to look neutral, though her voice came off as more of a low growl.

"…Where did you look for him?"

"Well, I looked around ze reception 'all and then when I could not find 'im, I looked for an employee lounge which was in ze area. Although I couldn't find 'im, though I did find something like an unfinished meal there — utensils and all."

_What do you wanna bet that that's where she got the knife?_

_ "Twenty bucks!"_

"Twenty dollars for what?" Franziska queried, gazing in confusion at Athena, her eyebrows raised.

"_For—"_ began Widget before Athena grabbed him by his speaker, silencing his speech.

The Judge opened his mouth to deliver a scathing commentary, but immediately reconsidered, closing it as he gave Franziska — who was observing him, a mirthless smile forming on her lips — a terrified look. She just stared him down as he returned to his normal position, glancing repeatedly in her direction before looking down in melancholy. He was only trying to protect robot rights in the courtroom, after all. Once everything was in proper order again, Franziska turned back around to meet her opponent's gaze.

"You were saying, Athena Cykes?"

"N-nothing," deadpanned Athena, grimacing as she leaned onto her bench, sweat flecked on her brow. "Witness, please continue your testimony."

4) It turns out zat I 'ad forgotten a very important item; I forgot zat it was going to be a cold morning.

_**Hold It!**_

"You had forgotten a very important item, huh? What item was it?" asked Athena, but judging by the fact that Libidine had mentioned the weather being slightly cold that morning…

She answered without even stopping to think about what she was saying. "My blue scarf; I couldn't find it in my room. It was ze one zat was found—" Just as soon as she began, she stopped, with the entire court going mute.

"That was found where, Ms Libidine?" asked Athena, smiling at the obvious answer.

Libidine scowled at her as though she was what was wrong with the world and Athena was enjoying every second of it.

When she figured that she wasn't going to get a response, Athena slammed her left fist onto her bench twice, bringing the court's attention onto her. She looked at Franziska — who was standing, unaffected by the revelation — and back to Libidine, who was gripping at the witness stand with everything she had. Smiling smugly, she felt like an action hero who'd just beaten all the villains.

"I can guess where that scarf you were 'missing' was found: the victim's room! She's talking about the same scarf that was used to strangle the victim!"

"What exactly are you insinuating?" asked Franziska, narrowing her eyes at Athena.

"I'm insinuating that the person who murdered Mr Abaddon was the one who used this scarf!" exclaimed Athena, pointing at nothing in particular.

The entire courtroom went silent and Athena began to sweat, deadpanning, "Did I do something wrong?"

"Other than telling us what we already knew, no, Athena Cykes," teased Franziska, shrugging with a boastful smile on her lips. She turned to Libidine, expressionless as she demanded, "Witness, continue."

5) When I returned, I went into my room and, suddenly, 'eard a sudden and loud noise from room adjacent to me.

_**Hold It!**_

Still recovering from the previous injustice, Athena grit her teeth. "What would you say it sounded like?"

"A sudden slam, as though ze person 'ad closed a door extremely 'ard," Libidine attempted clarify.

"Then that would mean that you _couldn't_ have seen him inside the room!"

"Wait, what?"

"If the sound was of the door, then that would mean he had already left the crime scene, therefore, the next part of your testimony wouldn't make sense."

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Ignore that, witness," Franziska commanded. Then, she turned to Athena with a scowl and stated, "Do you _really_ wish to argue on this matter, Athena Cykes? Isn't it obvious what was happening or are you simply that foolish?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?!"

She felt like she'd lost the thread completely, although it did make sense, considering how tired she was of this. The only thing that could have caused the sound was the door opening and closing. Nothing else could have made it…right?

Franziska gaped for a few seconds, before eventually sighing noisily and shaking her head like a disapproving parent. She whipped her bench in a quick, decisive motion; the ensuing crack reverberated around the courtroom, startling Athena and a few of the gallery members based on what she could hear.

"Are you being serious, Athena Cykes? First the obvious and now this?" she said listlessly, exasperation clear in her voice.

"What's wrong?"

"There was another item in the room that could have made a sound like that," explained Franziska, slowly as though she was explaining it to a young child.

Feeling like she was missing something, Athena asked, "What was it?"

"The drawer, of course," Franziska pointed out with a smug smile, her arms outstretched. "It makes sense as well, considering that the defendant would have been in a rush to get out; otherwise, they might have been caught. That's the sound that Selene Libidine heard."

"I thought of that, too," the Judge peeped, though there was a sudden tenseness in his voice. Then, he glared at Athena as though this was all somehow her fault. "How could you not think of that, Ms Cykes? Do I have to penalize the defense?"

Athena went silent, attempting to make the connection before hitting her palm against her forehead with the force of a truck. How could she _not_ have seen that? She was right to think that something was going on with her mind, but losing it wasn't what she was expecting to have to deal with.

_So what? I had a mental hiccup; everyone has that sometimes._

With the tender part of her skin which she had recently hit still glowing red, she slumped forward with sweat dripping off her forehead. "N-no, Your Honor. Please continue."

6) When I opened ze door, I…I saw Alexander lying in a pool of blood!

_**Hold It!**_

"He was lying in a pool of blood? So it had leaked onto the bed?"

"Yes, zat's what blood does, little girl."

Ignoring the jibe, Athena continued, "Could you please describe what you saw in detail?"

Libidine exploded into conversation, not even monitoring what she was saying, "Well, Alexander was lying on ze left side of ze bed, stabbed through ze back—" Then, just as spontaneously as she began, she stopped.

"Wait, I didn't mean to say zat! Zat was a lie."

Athena's eyes widened; this was her chance! She had to take it as speedily as she could. Excitement paving its way into her voice, she exclaimed, "No it wasn't, Ms Libidine! Your voice had no discord; it couldn't have been a lie! Add it to your testimony! _Quickly!_"

"No!"

"Now I'm curious as well. What exactly are you trying to hide, witness?"

The Judge pounded his gavel onto its sound block. "Witness, please do as the defense says."

Silence prevailed in the courtroom as Libidine took in the harsh news. She looked low at the witness stand, allowing her hair to cover her face, leaving her expression in the dark. Then, she pulled back up, moving the hair behind her back once again, crossing her arms tightly over her torso, knowingly accentuating her chest. Through a very noticeable pout, she managed to utter a "…Fine…"

Many in the gallery began to fawn over this change.

_And somehow,_ she_ managed to win over more followers. Maybe she should start up a cult or something…_

"_Give me a break!"_ exclaimed Widget.

7) Alexander was lying on ze left side of the bed, ze knife on 'is back.

_One more piece of testimony._

8) And I also saw zat bastard leaving the room just as quickly.

_**Hold It!**_

"Did he steal anything of value?" asked Athena.

_Wait a sec, that was already answer—_

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Athena Cykes, you already know which items were stolen. Do not make me repeat myself!"

"Actually, although I do not recall which items 'e stole, I 'ave ze item 'e missed right 'ere," she crowed. Immediately, she began fumbling with the lock on her back. Finally, she pulled out a black notebook with large white lettering on the top. It resembled something Apollo had talked about before.

_What's that? A Death Note? Note to self, remember to ask Apollo about the manga._

"I forgot to 'and zis in to ze prosecution, but I'll do so now," said Libidine. "It's a notebook Alexander 'ad which contained 'is notes on ze investigation. It's 'is private notebook; 'e never even let me look at it."

"Such a dedicated young woman…" gushed the Judge. Athena could almost see the tears stinging the corners of his eyes.

_Oh brother…_

"…What?!" exclaimed Franziska, having been hit completely out of left-field. She leaned forward, her eyes wide. "Why didn't you tell us about this beforehand?"

Libidine shrugged as she handed the book to the bailiff. "I never felt ze need to."

**Notebook added to Court Record.**

Franziska, steaming with indignation, accepted the evidence, appending it to her organizer with a harrumph. Then, she began skimming through its contents as quick as a speed reader to make a mental note of what was written there — most likely in the futile hope something new to her already thorough investigation. Eventually, her mouth thinned as it formed into a frown.

"But I digress—"

_**Hold It!**_

"Wait a moment, witness…there are pages missing from this notebook!" exclaimed Franziska out of the blue, pounding a fist onto her bench.

The gallery began to murmur as Athena gasped, completely taken aback by this bombshell. "Wh-_What?_"

"You heard me," Franziska retorted, once again attempting to return to her facade of calmness, though sweat was pouring down her face like an overflowing cup. She looked at Libidine for an answer, but she only shrugged.

"…So who ripped out the pages?" asked Athena.

She pointed at Boye, giving him a dirty scowl before looking back. "It was 'im, I'm sure of zat."

_None of this makes any sense!_

Athena slammed her fist onto the bench, turning with an angry glare to Libidine. "But _why_ would he do it? I mean, you two had just arrived from Europe that day. It doesn't make any sense for him to rip out specific pages of your notebook. It probably doesn't even pertain to him!"

Libidine tightened her grip on the witness stand as she reeled back, allowing her hair to become disorganized**. **She then opened her bag, pulling out a battery-operated hair straightener, and turned it on. Athena knew from personal experience that that would take a while.

"W-witness, I don't think you're supposed to d—" began Athena, holding up a finger.

The Judge cut across her, nodding in agreement. "I shall make a special accommodation for this witness."

Athena wanted nothing more than to face-palm so hard her hand went through her face, but regardless, all she could do was attempt to wipe off the sweat already pooling onto her bench with her bare hands. She _really_ needed Mr Wright here, even if it was just to hand her a towel every once in a while.

Then, she realized something; something really _didn't_ make sense. If she didn't know that the pages were torn, then how did she know that the page was taken by Mr Boye?

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena slammed her hands onto her bench — her head looking down — bringing the court's attention onto her. She smiled as she looked at Libidine up to say, "Witness, it's patently _impossible_ for you to have known that Mr Boye stole the pages."

"…Huh?" asked Libidine, seeming genuinely curious as she looked upon Athena with a raised eyebrow.

"Just think about it…if you'd never opened the book, then how did you know that the defendant stole the pages?" asked Athena.

"Wait, wh—"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"How does this have anything to do with the murder, Athena Cykes?" demanded Franziska, whipping the bench under her as she glared at Athena.

"If the witness had opened the book, then there's also a chance that it was _she _who stole the pages. It's pretty easy to want to claim some of your partner's hard work as your own."

_**OBJECTION!**_

"'ow _dare_ you accuse me of being jealous of Alexander…I loved him…I couldn't possibly 'ave—"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Wait your _turn,_ witness! Athena Cykes, do you have any prove of this?" asked Franziska.

"…Earlier on, I sensed some discord when Ms Libidine began talking about Mr Abaddon and their final argument. I suspect that it's this that caused that final argument," said Athena, smirking as she pointed to the courtroom display. It showed the notebook in all its glory—with white lettering that spelled out Abaddon's full name.

Libidine gave a start, clutching at her heart with her right hand. She managed to calm down enough to sputter, "I-I…"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"I said…hold your tongue. I asked if you had proof, not mer—"

"Are you seriously_ that_ stuck in the mud, Ms von Karma?! I've given you your proof, haven't I? Just take fingerprints of this notebook and if I turn out to be correct, then this _proves_ that Ms Libidine had touched the notebook on the day of the incident," explained Athena.

_**OBJECTION!**_

Franziska whipped the desk under her, uninterested in how much strength she had put into it. "No, it doesn't! She could simply have touched it before the incident or even just now!"

The Judge slammed his gavel, to no effect.

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena slammed her hands onto the bench leaning forward towards Franziska, her jaw clenched and teeth bared. She could feel her confidence and determination growing with every word — no, every _syllable_. "No, because she said that Mr Abaddon kept it private and look, she's wearing gloves right now!"

She noticed the Judge beginning to shout at both sides of the courtroom, pounding his gavel repeatedly, but it offered no deterrent to this new level of emotion engulfing her. She was only focused on Franziska, disregarding the fact that she was in a courtroom.

It didn't matter to Athena anymore; the only thing that mattered was proving _her_ wrong— and by extension, _Libidine_ wrong. She couldn't let this go — not even for a second.

Yellow versus Blue.

Yin versus Yang.

Good versus Evil.

This was what the courtroom represented to her.

_**OBJECTION!**_

Franziska thrust an arm toward Athena, gesturing to the young lawyer with a determined grimace as she narrowed her eyes. Athena could _see_ the frustration she felt as she exclaimed, "You're only going to believe her when it suits your arg—!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

The gavel pounding continued becoming louder and louder until both Athena and Franziska both turned to the Judge, simultaneously shouting, "What?!"

Although the two of them shot him a look that could kill, he stood his ground, clearing his throat loudly. He scowled at them both as sat up in his seat and lashed out.

"I think that's quite enough interruptions! I can understand tempers flaring after a long day in the courtroom — I personally am starting to lose my mind — but this flagrant disregard for the rules is too much, even for a man of my patience. If you don't act like proper attorneys, then I will have to hold you _both_ in contempt of court and have new ones assigned in your place. Am I in understanding that both sides do not wish this?"

"Yes, Your Honor," rang from both sides.

"Good. Ms Cykes, please proceed. How do we know that this witness opened the book after the crime?"

"It's simple…if her fingerprints are on the book, then I can be sure that she was the one who opened the book. Remember, she wore gloves prior to her taking out the book just now, so she couldn't have just put on fingerprints now," she explained.

"Yet, this was the victim's girlfriend — however wrong that may b—"

'_**old It!**_

It wasn't easy to describe the exact amount of seething hate that could be seen on Libidine's face as she glared at Franziska, spitting out, "'ow is it wrong?!"

The Judge slammed his gavel, but looked at her as gently as a grandfather. "Please be quiet, Ms Libidine. Otherwise this court may have to hold _you_ in contempt. Now then, explain, Ms von Karma."

Still seething, she began to use her hair straightener, which had since heated up. She moved it down her hair, smoothing out the frazzled ends where it had gone wild from her previous excitement.

"This is the victim's girlfriend. Perhaps she touched it before, even though she claimed not to. That is easy to conclude."

"Yet, that begs the question _why_ she would do it. She didn't have a reason to," countered Athena. "The defense still requests that the notebook be analyzed for fingerprints. I think something like this warrants it."

"Yes it does. Speaking of analysis…" noted Franziska. She then took out her phone, a black smart-phone and dialed in a couple of buttons.

The Judge — his eyes as wide as restaurant trays — shouted, "Ms von Karma, what are you doing?! This is a courtroom!"

"I know. I'm simply calling to ensure that the evidence does make its way over here," she said, her eyes closed as the phone continued to ring.

_I'm not even going to comment on the injustice of this._

"Ema Skye, is it finished yet?"

Athena could hear a strained response coming from the receiver; Ema seemed to her to sound exhausted — as though she was running for her life. Technically, it _was_ her paycheck she was putting on the line with every mistake, so Athena guessed that she should hurry up her pace.

A tinny voice rang out from the speakerphone. "C-coming, don't worry, Ms von Karma. We've finished analyzing it; I'm bringing it over as I speak."

"Very well. Thank you."

_What were they talking about?_

"Ms Skye is running evidence over here as we speak. It seems that they could not find a patrol car. The state of the police department in this country appalls me," she said, shaking her head with a pitiful smile.

Then, working her way through some papers on her desk, she chuckled lightly. "We've quite distanced ourselves from the original statement, haven't we?"

"Y-yeah. Let's get back to the testimony. Statement seven, witness."

_I have to get her on this! I can't let her get away after what she's done!_

7) Alexander was lying on ze left side of ze bed, ze knife on 'is back.

_**OBJECTION!**_

"That was quick…" noted the Judge.

Franziska crossed her arms. "That it was. She's probably been planning this for a while now. I could sense her itching to object somewhere."

"I'm still here!" exclaimed Athena, raising her hand and waving it in the air like a student in class. "Now then, if you're done talking about me, let me get to what evidence contradicts this piece of testimony."

"Yes, please do, Ms Cykes."

"Take a look at the picture of the crime scene, Your Honor, and you'll see why Ms Libidine was wrong!" exclaimed Athena, gesturing to the display with a smirk.

"…Oh!"

Libidine began to sweat, gritting her teeth as she looked away. She curled her hands into fists so tight that Athena wondered whether or not blood could circulate within them. Athena smirked seeing her trouble.

"Exactly! Ms Libidine stated that the body was on the left side, face down with the knife on his back without even thinking about it, but according to this image, the body was on the right side, face up with the knife in his chest!"

"But then who is right, Ms Cykes?"

Athena went silent, her eyes closed as she began to think.

_Let's think about it this way…Ms Libidine says that the body was on the left side of the bed, but the body was _actually _on the right side of the bed… But_

_So then…why would she have dropped that pen on the left of the bed?_

_ ...That just proves that the body was on the left!_

_ She was the one who had the pen.__ Wait! T__hen that means that _she_was__near__ the body. But then why would she drop the pen…?_

_ If she had dropped __it, then __Mr Boye's fingerprints would have made it look like _he_ was the one who was in the room with the dead body. _

The Judge, softly at first, but then in a firm voice called out to her, "Ms Cykes…? Ms Cykes!"

He slammed his gavel.

Athena jumped, having lost her train of thought in an instant. That would take some time to get back. Grinding her teeth in exasperation, she looked up to him with her eyes filled with the alertness of a meerkat.

"Y-yes, Your Honor?"

With a smirk, Franziska answered, "Now that you're awake, can you answer His Honor's question? Who is right, the witness or the police photograph? Or are you going to give up? I already have my answer."

"The defense proposes…that the witness is right…"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"You haven't shown proof of this, Athena Cykes," noted Franziska, leaning forward onto her bench and wagging a finger. It seemed to Athena as though she had been expecting this and had prepared a counter to it. "And who would you rather believe? A witness who has shown that she is capable of lying or the police who have thoroughly investigated the crime scene?"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"I know it seems far-fetched, but please hear me out! I have evidence to prove it!" exclaimed Athena. First, the Judge hadn't allowed her to think everything through and now Athena was using Simon's arguments against her. Unless she did something, she would be in a vulnerable position from which Franziska could shoot down her arguments.

The Judge nodded. "Very well, show us this evidence, Ms Cykes."

With that, she took in a large breath.

_**Take That!**_

Athena pointed her finger towards the display, which showed the golden Gatewater Imperial Pen.

"I direct the court's attention to this pen. This is a pen that employees of the establishment get whenever they're hired for a job. I found it under the _left_ side of the bed in the crime scene, exactly where Ms Libidine told us the body was positioned. That isn't a coincidence, Ms von Karma!"

"I have to thank you, Athena Cykes," asked Franziska. She had a genuine smile on her face from what Athena could see, but the tone of her voice clearly expressed that it was a triumphant gloat she _really_ had across her mug. She was almost too afraid to ask: "For what?"

Almost.

"For what?"

"You just gave me extra proof that William Boye was present at the scene of the crime, nothing more," jested Franziska, shaking a finger with a large smile. "Maybe you should become a prosecutor one day, Athena Cykes. We could use your expertise…or not. We can't have you handing cases over to the defense, after all."

"You haven't even let me explain my logic…"

"…Because we don't need to hear it. It's the same thing every single time."

"_OBJECTION! You clearly haven't read this girl's mind."_

Athena winced, hunching over her bench. She couldn't tell whether that was to be taken as a compliment or an incredibly well-disguised insult, but she was going to have to go with it.

After all, Widget always knew best when it came to her mind. Sometimes, she'd thought about taking him off, but in the end, she knew she'd grown too fond of him to even bring herself to do it. He loved making a fool out of her, but he was too much like an annoying little brother to ever warrant being shut down.

"Yeah…what he said. Let's keep going."

"…If you can't manage to show how this proves anything in the nex—"

_**Take That!**_

"This pen isn't proof that Mr Boye was at the crime scene. In fact, it's proof that someone else was at the crime scene."

"What?" asked Libidine.

"According to his own statement…Mr Boye had given his pen—" Athena paused for a moment, slamming her hands onto her bench before jabbing her finger at Libidine. "—to _you_, Ms Libidine! Therefore, the one who was standing near the body with that pen was none other than _you!_"

"Wh-_Whaaaaaat?!" _she sputtered, staggering back and nearly losing her balance. All the effort she had put into straightening her hair was lost in an instant and—what was more—it seemed that her hair straightener had become stuck near the middle of her hair. She panicked and attempted fruitlessly to pull it off, leading to an eventual surrender in the battle. In the end, she had to resort to just switching the machine off.

_Hopefully, it doesn't catch fire… at least not before I deliver this attack!_

"Other than Mr Boye, the only person to have entered that room was you. You were the third person at the scene of the crime!"

"We knew that, Athena Cykes…It was in her testimony. Again, you tell us things we alre—"

"I knew _that_!"

"_No she didn't; she forgot!_"

She technically _had _forgotten about that, but she couldn't remain stuck on it right now. She just had to keep going, despite Widget's sarcastic, yet truthful nature. It just wasn't the time. But, once again, her excitement was growing and, in that state, she was fixated entirely on proving her point.

"Then what exactly are you accusing the witness of?" asked Franziska, looking at her with a near curious tone of voice.

Now was the time — endgame. This was her chance to prove it.

Athena dug her feet into the ground as firmly as humanly possible and — with a retributive gleam in her eye — she drew back her finger and pointed at Libidine.

"Th-the defense hereby indicts Ms Selene Libidine with murder in the first degree!"

The courtroom rang in an unsteady silence.

Athena couldn't even hear a single breath as she remained frozen in place realizing, in slow waves of returning clarity, the full weight of her accusation.

Even though her heart was beating faster and faster to allow more in air — even though the adrenaline was pumping through her veins — she was having a tough time taking in a more than a shallow breath.

She looked to her right only to see Boye gawking like an absolute madman. He was casting quick, alternating glances between Libidine and Athena, most likely, she imagined, trying to figure out who was crazier among the two.

"…Are you absolutely _sure_ you want to do this?" asked Franziska, glaring at her, her voice ominously low.

"…The defense wishes to double down on its official stance," Athena asserted.

It seemed as though the butterflies in her stomach must really have wanted to get out because she felt a slight queasiness taking over her senses. Something didn't sit right with her at all and it wasn't just her breakfast — or lack of a normal breakfast that morning — that was doing it.

"_I'm hungry!"_

Libidine had remained strangely mute throughout this whole exchange, staring at Athena with wide eyes and an open mouth. Athena noticed that she had gone a light pale color and that sweat slicked itself to her skin. She seemed to have noticed only when she spotted Athena staring; she took a small tissue out of her bag and started wiping herself down.

"Very well…I ask you…what proof do you have that this witness had motive and a method to murder the witness?" Franziska drawled, her eyes flashing with extreme anger. She kept her hands on her bench and from what Athena could see, it looked like her fingers were twitching.

…_Do I even know how to do this…?_

She would have to navigate this tightrope with extreme caution — either side was a minefield. Taking a deep calming breath, she pointed her finger at the display which showed a picture of the blue scarf.

Putting on a smile, she began, "You're asking for a method? Well, I can give you a method! Take a look at this scarf: it's the murder weapon. This is — not so coincidentally — the very same scarf that belongs to the witness as we learned during the cross-examination!"

"So…?" asked Franziska. "This scarf belonging to the witness doesn't merit it being her that strangled the victim! In fact, it provides a whole new light to this case as it proves that William Boye was attempting to frame the witness!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena shook her head. "And yet…it was _her_ who tried to hide that fact from the court. She attempted to change her statements. Why would she do this? That isn't exactly doing her too many favors."

"Perhaps because she was afraid that she—" Franziska began.

"'That she would be suspect to murder?' Ms von Karma, I implore you to just look at the witness right now."

Both of them turned to look at Libidine, who was clutching onto the witness stand as tight as a drum; her face was becoming as pale as a sheet quicker than the drop of a hat — even as she directed a ferocious glare at Athena as she bore her teeth.

As soon as she noticed that they were both observing her, she immediately attempted to hide it, going back to wiping down the renewed sweat which was now sliding down her arms and whistling a random tune.

_I thought that only worked in cartoons…_

It had worked like a charm. Athena crossed her arms over her chest in brimming confidence. "The witness is very nearly collapsing from attempting to conceal the lie."

_But it's strange because there's no discord in her testimony._

"Only because it is so ridiculous!" Libidine exclaimed.

Ignoring her fuming, Athena continued, tapping on Widget's holographic screen. "Not only that, but I'd also like to add the fact that she knew a detail about the crime scene that neither I nor the prosecution knew until a few minutes ago!"

"That being?" Franziska asked, shooting her a curious look.

Athena began to play with her earring, looking up.

"When the police arrived, the body was positioned on the right side of the bed, face-up with the knife in his chest. But the witness says that the body was lying face-down on the left side, the knife in his back. If what the witness says is true — which it is — it would mean that someone would have had to move the body.

"Taking this into consideration, Ms von Karma, ask yourself this: if Mr Boye had already left the scene of the crime…"

Athena slammed her hands onto her desk, startling most of the court. Feeling the wind in her ears as she kept a resolute gaze on Franziska, she asked, "Who was the only person with the ability to alter the crime scene after the murder happened?"

Franziska didn't answer, clenching her jaw in what looked to be anticipation.

"Cat got your tongue, Ms von Karma? Well then, I'll answer for you. The only person who could have altered the crime scene is witness, Selene Libidine!" accused Athena, with a cocky smirk as she pointed as Libidine.

Libidine gripped the witness stand with so hard Athena feared that her nail impressions would be stay on it. She stopped attempting to wipe her sweat, letting it flow without resistance onto the ground. Her voice shaking, she shouted, "N-no! It wasn't me! Y-you haven't even proven that I could have stabbed him! That was _Monsieur_ Boye's knife, not mine!"

Franziska sighed, arms crossed over her chest in a tired manner. "Yes, Athena Cykes. The knife belonged to William Boye; his fingerprints were found on it, if you recall. I also wish to add that she had no chance to get the knife."

Whipping her bench, she added, "How do you explain _that_, Athena Cykes?"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Ms Libidine stated that she'd been to the employee lounge that morning! She said that she'd seen an unfinished meal!" exclaimed Athena, slamming her hands onto the bench. "It's pretty easy for me to see where she'd picked up the knife…"

"W-wait!"

Athena turned to a Libidine who was rapidly losing any sign of her previous calmness. She looked as if she was about to lose her mind. Leaning forward, she pleaded her case, shouting, "I-I — Ze knife was…it wasn't in ze lounge at ze—!"

By this point, Athena didn't even care that she couldn't sense discord in her voice, she was focused only on the attack. It had to be perfect; she slammed her hands on her bench, startling Libidine into utter silence.

As her eyes narrowed into slits, Athena noted, "Your voice is shaky _and_ full of incompatible information. It's a pretty unbelievable lie."

"B-but it is not a lie, Ms Cykes!"

_Using my name _now_, are we? You're getting desperate._

Athena smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest as though she was victorious; she silenced herself to Libidine's pleas which — although becoming much more desperate in tone — were falling — ironically — onto deaf ears.

Her eyes screwed shut, Libidine clenched her jaw. "I-I didn't find ze knife in ze lounge! I couldn't 'ave because 'e 'ad taken ze knife! I 'ad nothing to do with the crime!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena slammed her hands onto her bench before jabbing her finger at Libidine. "Stop lying, Ms Libidine! It was _your_ scarf found tied across the victim and you yourself said you'd been into the employee lounge. You said that you'd seen an unfinished meal; you even added that you'd seen the utensils there at the table! In case you didn't know, a knife is a utensil — used for eating. That's more than enough proof to say that _you_ were the one who carried the knife!"

Libidine was almost knocked back by the fire in Athena's accusation but — though the hair straightener attached to the back of her blond mane at that moment put up a fight — managed to remain standing. Upon returning to a standing position, she immediately tried again — in vain — to pull the heavy device off her hair, but it seemed as though it was stuck like gum on a shoe. Looking down, she reached into her bag to pull ou—

_CRACK!_

Franziska whipped the front of the witness stand — careful to avoid hitting Libidine — leaving a small scratch upon it.

** "**I apologize for frightening you but enough with the theatrics, Selene Libidine! There's a trial happening and you're our witness," pleaded Franziska, leaning towards the witness — who was gasping as though she'd come in sprinting from a marathon, clutching at her heart as though her life depended on it.

_And that what she considers _less_ theatrics…?_

"...F-fine."

"Now then…there's something that confuses me, Athena Cykes. Even if what you say is true, which I'm not saying it is, then there is still one other thing which hasn't been established here."

Athena raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Franziska, her senses on high alert. There was still fight left in her system and she wasn't going to give in like this. "And that is?"

"Motive. You still haven't given us a motive that Selene Libidine would have had for the crime. Show us proof that the witness _wanted_ to commit the crime. I don't expect you to have thought of that of course."

_ Damn it! She's right. I didn't even think of—wait! The notebook; there's still some hope!_

Athena — her eyes closed — began, "Ms von Karma, may I ask a simple question to you first?"

"Yes?"

"Exactly what is Ms Libidine's reputation among prosecutors in Europe…?"

Athena opened her eyes only to see both Libidine and Franziska taken aback completely, both gaping at her.

"Why would you ask such a thing? You're not seriously suggesting—"

"Please just answer me, Ms von Karma!" shouted Athena, slamming her hands onto the bench before Franziska could finish. This was her only hope; if what she was thinking was right, then…it could only mean one thing. There was a motive to Libidine's murder of Abaddon and it incensed her beyond all motives.

Still looking like a fish out of water, Franziska gave a start quite unnatural for a woman of her standing. Athena didn't think she'd ever been asked something like this in such a blunt manner or in court. Finally, she sputtered, "W-Well, although I do not personally like to rate prosecutors, objectively, she is about average or below average — not noteworthy…"

As she said this, Athena looked back to Libidine, noticing the latter was biting her lip, not even looking at the courtroom. When the Franziska's statement finished, she hung her head in shame, humiliated in front of millions. The Judge's looked on, emotionless, his former praise of her muted by Franziska's observations. Athena nearly regretted asking Franziska this. It looked as if Libidine couldn't take anymore, being thrown under the bus by someone she considered a friend.

_…What am I doing…? Why do I suddenly feel a bit _sorry_ for her…?_

But she didn't have any time for it now.

"Well then, that's more than enough," Athena muttered under her breath, looking down at her bench in a deafening silence.

"Excuse me?"

"The defense can easily provide a motive for the crime!"

_**Take That!**_

"This piece of evidence proves it all," declared Athena, bringing up the notebook on Widget and looking up at Franziska. "I reiterate, as before, that my client has no reason to rip pages out of the private notebook of a person he barely knows. The only person who had a motive to rip pages out of the book was this witness!"

Franziska stared coldly at her, her mouth curling into a thin line — a crease of clear frustration and anger. "And why would she do that…?"

Careful to try and walk the — already slim — line to avoid Franziska's wrath, Athena pointed at the notebook. Playing with her earring, she said, "Something about what Ms Libidine mentioned caught my attention. A few minutes ago, she said that she had never opened the notebook. Yet, she knew two key facts about this notebook."

She put up one finger. "One, that the notebook contained Mr Abaddon's investigation notes and, two—" She put up a second finger. "—that the defendant had stolen the pages. With these facts, I don't think it's possible for her to have never opened it."

Franziska rubbed at her cheek. "Yet, how does this all relate to motive, Athena Cykes?"

Athena put up a full hand, signaling to stop. "I'm getting there, alright?"

Her temper was now beginning to flare after all this time, all this beating around the bush, all these distractions, having risen slowly—_excruciatingly_ slowly— over the course of the day. She was already tired after so many hours of debating with Franziska. All she wanted to do was go home for the day. All she had to do was prove that Libidine was the murderer. It would be easy, seeing as she was also beginning to panic.

But something didn't feel right.

Athena was sure that she was lying, but she had an inkling of a feeling that she herself was going about it all wrong. There wasn't any discord at the beginning— Widget had made sure of that, but there also wasn't any discord now. There was the inconsistency; something didn't feel right.

But never mind that, she had to get back to proving it.

Athena squared up her shoulders, preparing to deliver the blow. She had a massive smirk on her mug, her eyes flashing in confidence. Slamming her hands onto her bench, she glared at Libidine, explaining, "Her motive was quite simple, really. It was none other than ambition. She never loved him at all, all she wanted was to steal the secrets to his success. In essence…an opportunist who saw fit to use a man and kill him once his usefulness had come to an end."

Athena looked at Libidine, satisfied to see the complete and utter fury on her face; her breathing became erratic and she seemed unable to contain herself. After a few seconds, she exploded, "_'ow _dare_ you?! _I-I…I would never 'ave killed 'im! I admit, I was a bit curious at 'is skill, but zat was what attracted me to 'im in ze first place. 'e was so kind and — and —"

She blushed at the thought before pounding her hands onto the witness stand, shooting all her fury in a glare towards Athena. "I…loved 'im I wouldn't ever 'ave killed 'im. You're wrong!_"_

"And yet, you killed him. You killed him after all he had done for you," said Athena, a quiet rage building up inside her. "You never loved him and he never loved you. You're nothing but a greedy go-getter!"

"What do you mean 'e never loved me?" she fumed, a victorious gleam now making itself known in her eye. She clenched her jaw as she spat, "'e loved me with all 'is 'eart!"

Athena snorted, almost collapsing onto her desk in a peal of derisive laughter. Franziska, the Judge, and Libidine looked alarmed, so caught off guard that they were unable to speak. When she finally got control over herself, she revealed, "Nope. That statement you made…contains a fatal contradiction!"

_Seriously…what are you doing? Do you really want to do this? What if…?_

_Never mind that. She deserves it. She killed him._

The bubbling hot injustice ran through Athena's veins. She had a malicious smile ingrained onto her face. She had to somehow get vengeance for Abaddon's family; this was the only way. She couldn't allow such a…woman to continue cheating others. She was too dangerous to be left alone. What if she moved on and did this to another guy? No — Libidine had to be stopped right here and right now.

_**Take That!**_

"Guess what this is, Ms Libidine," Athena goaded, a large, cocky grin still on her face.

"A locket and a ring, so what?" questioned Libidine, looking in confusion at the evidence display. "What does it prove?"

"…Please read what's on the inside of that locket for me, Ms Libidine."

"'_…Love is like…' _W-wait…_What?!"_ Libidine exclaimed. She read the words over and over again, but none it of it made any sense. Her expression becoming more and more desperate with each reading, her eyes beginning to water. By the end her breathing had become shallow and she herself had become as dead as a doornail, hesitant — or more accurate to say: unable — to utter a single word, her vision of the word shattered like glass to a locket-shaped bullet.

"…Now then, was it _you_ who made that locket for him?" Athena prodded.

"…N-I mean…yes!" she said in a snappish, yet desperate manner. It seemed as though she was trying to regain some level of her former confidence.

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena, looking down, pounded her fist onto her desk — near identical to the sound of cannon fire. In fact, some people may have thought it was cannon fire, as when she looked up, multiple members of the gallery were looking left and right, trying to identify the source of the noise. She brought up Abaddon's phone, showing the picture on it to the courtroom. She jabbed a finger towards it, glaring utter venom into Libidine.

"Hmph. That's a lie, as you can see by this image. But that's not even the most important thing here. The most important thing is that ring sitting on both their hands. Those two kids. _They're_ what that quote represents. Not you, especially not after you _murdered_ him! Admit it, Ms Libidine! You didn't love him, you just wanted to steal his secrets! And now you're getting a taste of your own medicine!" exclaimed Athena, jabbing her finger at Libidine so hard it could have skewered her, a sense of righteous justice flowing through her as she smirked confidently.

Selene Libidine was not always an emotional woman, not by a long shot, but here…now and at this time…?

As she looked at the picture on the phone's screen, her blood froze in her veins, her eyes as wide as they could be, like a mouse cornered by a clever cat. She felt her heart constrict, refusing even try and pump the freezing mud. There was quite a night and day difference between the woman who entered the courtroom earlier that afternoon and the woman who was right now on the witness stand, unable to contain her emotions.

She curled her right hand into a tight fist, allowing her nails to dig deep into her skin — but not enough to spill blood — attempting to use the pain to control the absolute misery she felt. Whatever remaining shred of joy she had — that she didn't even know she had — was destroyed in its entirety the moment Athena put the image of the happy family up on the display.

She had been made a fool of.

He had lied to her. For months. And she just followed him along because she was too "in love" to even look into him, to see if he was married or not.

Maybe if the twat hadn't kept it all under wraps, she would have known that he was married.

Maybe she wouldn't have to be in this position here and now.

What the hell had made her so weak? So unable to see the wrong she was participating? Why hadn't she seen it whenever he'd called his family? He hadn't lied to her, technically. He _was_ calling his family. Something she was never, _ever_ considered a part of.

Something _nobody_ considered her a part of.

She felt her knees shaking, as though she was about to fall onto the floor. She knew it was only a matter of time before her knees gave out. She immediately released her fist, instead grabbing on to the witness stand with everything she had in her, forcing herself to stand. She screwed her eyes shut, attempting to hold in the wave of tears which her eyes were attempting to release, but she had failed; the first tears had already broken through, blearing her sight. Her breath came out shaking, and she could pull in no more air to replace it; she felt as if she was about to choke.

She couldn't take it any longer.

"I did it! I murdered Alexander Abaddon! Just please…stop!" Libidine sobbed, slamming her head onto the witness stand, as the tears she tried to control flowed down onto the wood.

Athena was stunned…This was something she didn't expect. She looked to Franziska, who looked on, her face as pale as a ghost. It all felt so…wrong, somehow. Athena didn't even know how to continue. The Judge sat in his seat, palming his face as he watched on. There was an uncomfortable silence present in the courtroom — apart from Libidine's quiet, anguished weeping.

It could have been funny — the hair straightener still attached to her hair as she leaned over — but Athena couldn't even come close to seeing any humor in the situation. It was far too late for that.

She watched on, completely helpless as the woman she had badgered — _coerced_, more like_ — _into admission broke down into a pathetic heap. And suddenly, a new feeling — one of pity and regret — flowed through her nerves, sending her off the roller coaster of adrenaline and into a plateau. She looked down and took a deep breath. From here, the only place she could go was down, down, _down_…

_Oh no…__W__hat…__W__hat have I done…?_

For quite a few minutes, nobody spoke a word — it didn't feel right to interrupt the heavy silence.

Not even Athena was able to bring herself to interrupt it. She heard a slight fidgeting noise. She looked up and to her right, only to see Boye's eyes boring into _her_, his eyes wide and his breathing erratic, but in complete silence.

From what she could see, he was either in awe or horrified at the lengths she went to get him his acquittal. She turned to look again at Franziska and found that she, likewise, was observing her with a blank look, unwilling to break the pregnant pause.

_**Hold It!**_

"I've got it, Ms von Karma! The Chief forgot to…Wait, what's going on here?"

Everyone turned to the doors, faced with Ema Skye, who in turn stared at the scene in front of her. She swallowed down the rest of her sentence, giving a nervous chuckle and wave before making her way down to Franziska.

Athena couldn't hear the hushed conversation that followed between the two women. And at this point, she didn't even care anymore.

She looked at the hand with which she had pointed at Libidine, squeezing it open and shut.

It was _she _who had done this…not anyone else.

She, Athena Cykes.

Athena Cykes, the psychologist.

The psychologist — someone whose job it was to _help_ people deal with their emotions.

Athena Cykes, the defense attorney.

The defense attorney — someone whose job it was to believe in their clients until the very end.

But what if both of those ideals came to an impasse.

What could she do then…?

Thoughts repeated itself in her mind, like a religious mantra from Khura'in.

_I did this. _

_I was the cause of this. _

_ It's all my fault._

Maybe Libidine had committed the murder, but not even _she_ deserved this…

_**OBJECTION!**_

"Your Honor, the prosecution would like to submit new evidence to the court," Franziska declared.

Ema had walked away by that point, taking the notebook with her for further analysis. She had looked to Athena give her a friendly nod, but Athena simply had a glazed look on her face, Widget's screen purple. She looked at her for a few seconds, concerned, but then shrugged and walked out soon after.

"Athena Cykes…?" Franziska questioned. When this got no response, she shook her head dismissively and looked up at the Judge.

"Go on, Ms von Karma. What is this evidence?" asked the Judge, ignoring Athena.

At this moment, Athena's mind decided to come back in full force, turning itself back on. She looked at Libidine, who had since gotten up, she took out a tissue, which she used to wipe her face. She'd finally managed to take off the hair straightener, which had left a slightly darkened spot. She looked away from the courtroom, holding her arm, completely lethargic due to her ordeal.

_**Take That!**_

Athena watched as Franziska played a video on the screen. She couldn't understand for the life of her what was happening; she was barely able to keep her attention on it. From what she could see, it showed a brunet leaving the room, a knife in hand and blood on his uniform. He had a large smile on his face as he walked towards the screen.

In his hand was a locket, and within seconds, both it and he were gone, to be seen no more.

Franziska gazed coolly upon Athena. "…As you could clearly see…the person who killed Alexander Abaddon was none other than William Boye. The size matches, the hair color matches, even the facial features match. This video is cold hard proof that only the defendant could have committed the crime."

"…Why…?" Athena faltered, unable to bring herself to ask the question as she looked down onto her bench.

"Why _what_?" Franziska stressed.

"Why…why did she…admit to it…?"

Quietly, Franziska answered, her voice carrying nothing but sympathy for the young defense attorney. "Because, Athena Cykes…when a person is cornered, when they are pushed against a wall from which they cannot escape, when they are needlessly badgered, they admit to things they wouldn't even have thought about doing. Being a _psychologist_, I would have thought that you at the very least would know that.

She turned to Libidine and — in a much more penitent and sorrowful tone — began, "And to you, Selene Libidine, I'm extremely regretful that you had to go through that farce of a trial. I should have brought this evidence up sooner rather than later, perhaps it would have saved you from unnecessary turmoil. If you wish to do so, you can leave right now. I think you've more than earned it."

Libidine didn't reply, nodding sadly. She then turned around and walked out of the courtroom, much worse for the wear than she had been when she came in. Humiliated and having her relationship revealed to be a lie in front of the entire world, it was more than anybody could have bared. Athena didn't even think to blame her, simply keeping her gaze low at the ground, clenching her teeth.

Then, she realized exactly what was going on.

Boye had planned the accident in the weight room. Libidine had not.

Boye had gone into the room with a knife. Libidine had not.

Boye had stolen the locket and the ring. Libidine had not.

Boye had stabbed the body with the knife. Libidine had not.

Boye had strangled the victim to death. Libidine had not.

Boye had gotten a monster of a defense attorney to defend him. Libidine had not.

William Boye was guilty.

And Selene Libidine…was not.

She turned her head to him, slowly, jittering like a crazy person, but she didn't care. She gave him a horrified look, her mouth ajar and her eyes wide.

And — all of a sudden — it all made sense. The fidgeting, what he was about to say during the recess before the guards interrupted him.

Everything made sense.

A monster of a defense attorney…no, a _failure_ of a defense attorney _and _a failure of a psychologist. That's what she was.

That's _all_ she was anymore.

Her mind was blank — a hollow shell of its former self.

What _was _she?

Was she a psychologist…or was she a defense attorney?

...Or was she just a small child pretending to play both?

Why…_why_ had she even chosen to become a defense attorney in the first place?

To defend criminals — to defend people who had actually committed crimes and get them their undeserved freedom?

Athena Cykes…was a villain at the very least and a sadist at the very most.

Why didn't she sense that Libidine was telling the truth?

Was it because she really wanted vengeance for Abaddon's family?

Or — more likely — was it because of her _own_ ambition to accuse that woman?

Because she didn't care who she defended, because the only thing she cared about was winning.

In the end, she was nothing different from Manfred von Karma, except perhaps for the badge she wore on her lapel.

Was it justice for all…?

Or justice…for none…?

The Judge nodded gravely. His voice cold and full of venom, or at least Athena imagined so, he asked, "Does the defense have anything more to add?"

Looking back down onto her bench, a few tears stung at her eyes. Within moments, they fell onto the bench. Her throat constricted — she was unable to say a single thing. She opened and closed her mouth, trying to bring words out, but failed each and every time.

Finally, her voice quiet, yet raw and full of emotion, Athena managed to murmur out a statement which she thought she'd never, _ever_ say in court.

"The…defense…rests…"

Her mind began to play flashbacks to her many victories in court — standing next to Apollo, Mr Wright, Simon — like a series of old black-and-white recordings...but right now, they were simply too much to bear.

At that moment, in Courtroom Number Three, she lost all her self-control and the ocean of emotions that she had built up began to fall in waves of tears onto her bench. She was silent, however, punishing herself — not allowing her body the luxury of producing a single noise apart from her shaking breathing. Bottling all of that inside even as it yearned to free itself was almost impossible work. She clenched her jaw and rolled her hands into tight fists, which she placed onto the bench to support herself.

_It's all over. I...I'm sorry._

She didn't even know who she was apologizing to.

And then, as the rest of the court watched on, she heard the Judge declare, "Very well. I see no further reason to continue this trial. Defendant, please make your way to the witness stand."

She heard the scraping of Boye's chair as he got up and moved over to the stand, ready to accept his verdict.

"On the charge of murder in the first degree, this court hereby declares the defendant, Mr William Boye…"

"_**Guil—!"**_

_**OBJECTION!**_

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

_**Attorney's Badge:**_** This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Autopsy Report:**_** 11/18, 10:30-11:30 AM; Cause of Death: Death due to asphyxiation. Notes that stab wounds found on the body are post-mortem.**

_**Bloody Footprints:**_** A set of Bloody Footprints leading to the elevator that I found in the hallway outside the victim's room.**

_**Crime Scene Photos:**_** The victim is lying face-up on the right side of the bed, which has blood underneath the body. He appears to have been stabbed and strangled to death.**

_**Bloody Knife:**_** A bloody knife found stuck in the victim's chest.**

_**Scarf:**_** Scarf found tied around the victim's neck extremely tightly.**

_**Drawer:**_** An empty drawer in the victim's room. The police labeled it as evidence.**

_**Key:**_** A key to the closet in Mr Abaddon's room dropped by Ms Libidine.**

_**Blackout Record:**_** There was a blackout in this hotel from around 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM. The hotel's main systems, such as elevators and rooms lost power.**

_**Blood-stained Pantyhose:**_** One of Ms Libidine's pantyhose which were found in the closet with blood on its knees.**

_**Weights:**_** The victim attempted to lift 250 pounds prior to his death. He had an accident with this.**

_**Old Wireless Earphones:**_** A set of wireless earphones that came out over a decade ago. The logo isn't visible.**

_**Phone:**_** A phone which has a playlist of ABBA music and also what looks like a picture of the victim's family.**

_**Boye's Testimony: **_**"I handed my pen over to that French lady in the morning when she was running out of the hotel and said she needed it; she didn't give it back. Nobody else saw it, fortunately for me; employees are encouraged to keep their pens on them at all times."**

_**Locket and Ring: **_**A locket and wedding ring belonging to the victim; it was found in Mr Boye's employee locker.**

_**Hotel Invoice: **_**A record by the hotel which shows that Ms Libidine and Mr Abaddon both booked their rooms the night before the murder.**

_**Notebook:**_ **The victim's private journal containing notes on his investigations. A few pages were found ripped out.**

**Profiles:**

_**Phoenix Wright (age 37):**_** An excellent defense attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model, but he isn't here right now.**

_**William Boye (age 39):**_** The head bellboy of the establishment, who was arrested for murder. He's my client.**

_**Alexander Abaddon (age 44):**_** An international prosecutor who was working with Franziska von Karma in an investigation. He was killed in his hotel room.**

_**Reggie Starr (age 46):**_ **The receptionist of the hotel who seems to hate my client for some reason.**

_**Franziska von Karma (age 29):**_** A famous international prosecutor from Germany, who aids Interpol in their investigations when they're out of their league.**

_**Dick Gumshoe (age 42):**_** A very large man who's the Chief of Police. He took over this investigation for some reason.**

_**Selene Libidine (age 38): **_**She is the victim, Alexander Abaddon's, colleague. She seems to be in a bad emotional state. Could there be something going on between them?**

_**Jim Leeder (age 35):**_** He's the trainer for the Gatewater Imperial Hotel's gym. Very tough and irritable.**

_**Mahina Bones (age 22**_**): She's a woman I met who has a muscle disorder. She's nice and told me tons of important information.**

* * *

**A/N: Alrighty, so I've been absent for a few weeks, sorry about that. Life, what can you say? **** But as you can see, I've still been pretty busy over my break. ****I hope you've all enjoyed the double length chapter! As always, you are free to leave a review.**

**A bit of bad news, however. I will no longer be doing weekly uploads. The chapters are getting much longer, so I'll be updating the story every 2-3 weeks (on Saturdays always, though). See you later, readers!**


	19. The Hospitable Turnabout - Part 9

**Trial - Day 1 - Part 6**

* * *

**November 19, 2029 3:42 PM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 3**

* * *

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena thought that her tank of energy and willpower had hit rock bottom, but within a few seconds, she felt her head turning as though of its own accord and what she found there caused her breath to catch in her throat.

With his deep blue suit standing out in stark contrast to the glaring white lights of the hallway, Phoenix Wright stood as still as a statue in the doorways of the court, a frown etched into his tan features. He turned his gaze to Athena after a few short seconds of tense silence, his expression hardening into what most people considered a glare. She swiftly looked back down, unable to stand watching the disappointment etched deep into his face.

In the end, she had to admit that she'd failed him too…

It felt like déjà-vu to her. It had happened once before, in almost the exact same — no, not even close to the exact same circumstances. Back then, she had blanked out because of the UR-1 incident…but here…here, it was much more selfish. It wasn't any childhood trauma that had caused this. Here, it was her childish desire to win that had caused her to fall so short.

"Well, well, well… if it isn't Phoenix Wright himself…"

She heard Phoenix's slow, deliberate footsteps getting closer and closer as he walked to the witness stand. Each step caused the hairs on her neck to stand on end as she realized what was coming. She heard an audible gasp and the quick shuffling of feet as someone moved aside quickly.

Phoenix's usual soft-spoken voice rang with a certain terseness, echoing around the halls of the courtroom as though it were an empty chamber, with nothing else in it except for the person currently speaking.

"…The defense retracts its previous statement, Your Honor."

The gallery exploded.

No one could hear anything the Judge was saying until he had managed to slam his gavel at least twelve times — though Athena lost count at around six due to him accidentally tossing it somewhere in between.

But even then, with the Judge finally having restored something akin to quiet to the room, momentary hushed whispers persisted — but thankfully it was easy to ignore them.

When the Judge finally spoke, his voice had risen to the shrill shriek of a banshee, cracking in surprise as he sputtered, "M-Mr Wright! Y-You can't possibly be serious! Once the defense rests—!"

"I apologize for sounding a bit cutting, Your Honor, but as this case wasn't officially taken by the Wright Anything Agency, Ms Cykes' actions weren't officially endorsed by me, her boss. In other words, though this trial was officially conducted, she hadn't consulted her legal firm to record this, nor to get it approved, therefore in actuality, the defendant has not had a proper attorney throughout this entire trial. Once again, I'm sorry for the interruption and will speak with her once the trial has ended," said Phoenix, the sharp betrayal in his tone like a knife to her heart.

And that's when it sunk in. She hadn't just taken and lost a case without Phoenix. She had gone behind his back and taken a case during her _vacation _— a vacation that he had given her because he thought she needed a break — without even asking for his consent. And she hadn't even thought to at least show up to the Wright Anything Agency write it down and officiate it.

She had done a great job at losing it, though, accusing an innocent woman of a crime that she'd never even thought to commit along the way.

Athena looked up. The entire room was waiting with bated breath as the Judge remained silent, his brow knitting together as he sat, deep in thought. Phoenix kept an intense glare on the Judge all the while, seemingly to intimidate him, refusing to even glance at Athena for even a second.

The Judge let out a resigned sigh, but looked up all the same. He nodded, acquiescing to Phoenix's request, but still managing to toss him an indignant glare.

His voice strict, filled with chagrin, he began, "Although it is highly, _highly_ irregular for the court to even have to consider this, I shall allow it. Consider yourself lucky right now, Mr Wright; I wouldn't do it for any other reason. The defense is hereby allowed to withdraw from their resting position."

He pounded his gavel onto its sound block. "Ms Cykes, you may pro—!"

"No."

Athena shook her head, her wide eyes glued to the bench. She didn't even want to see Phoenix's reaction.

She couldn't do it.

She just couldn't.

Not only was she exhausted, but she couldn't see any hope and it was very clear that after what she'd done, this was an honor she didn't deserve.

She felt the Judge give her a curious glance before turning to Phoenix. "Then, Mr Wright, _you_ may proceed. I trust that you're prepared for this?"

"I spent most of the ride over reading over the evidence and case at hand as best I could. I should have a pretty good clue as to what I'm dealing with," said Phoenix, patting his pockets nonchalantly as though searching for something.

Then, he turned and she heard him walk to stand behind the defense's bench. She turned to see what he was doing, only to realize that he wasn't even looking at her, instead running a hand through his hair to sharpen his trademark spikes — yet still allowing a small lock to fall down onto his forehead. For some reason, that simply made her feel worse about the whole thing. Why had she even tried this? She could have just told him about it and maybe he would have been there from the beginning, nudging her on.

Then, he scratched at the back of his neck, giving a very large, toothy smile.

Chuckling nervously, he admitted, "That being said, I kinda sorta maybe haven't seen any of the recent developments, so if I could have a brief refresher it would really help the defense's case. As it stands now, I literally don't have a case to present..."

_Of course, the Boss is being the Boss, as usual._

"…I would think that Ms Cykes could give you the facts you need. Perhaps I should order a fifteen-minute recess in order to allow this substitution of attorneys to take place. It would be the proper thing to do, according to the rules regarding special incidents in the courtroom like this. Would either side object to that?"

"No, Your Honor!"

"Of course not."

* * *

**November 19, 2029 3:52 PM**

**District Court**

**Defendant Lobby No. 7**

* * *

The silence in the room as Athena and Phoenix exited the courtroom seemed to her to be perennial. There was an unspoken tension in the air, which Athena didn't even need her ears to hear; she could feel it biting at her skin. As soon as they had left the room, Phoenix went to grab a cup of water, wiping his mouth with his sleeve as soon as he returned. He went and sat down on the sofa, sighing something under his breath.

Athena decided to be the one to break the ice. Sighing heavily herself, she asked, "…_Hola, _Boss…so what brings you here…?"

"Oh, nothing much, really. Just thought I'd pop in to see how my employee was doing on a case I hadn't even known about," he said coolly, shrugging with a tight, controlled smile on his face.

Athena didn't need her ears to tell her that he was seething.

She opened and closed her mouth, hesitating for a moment.

She inhaled sharply. "Listen, I'm sorry about—"

"Upupup!" said Phoenix, shutting his eyes quickly, refusing to look at her as he put up a hand to stop her as soon as she began. "I don't want to hear it right now."

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence once more, Athena unable to even bring her face up to look at him again.

She snuck a glance at him, though, noticing that he had taken out his silver brick of a cell phone. How he could use that thing without feeling self-conscious was beyond her.

Punching in a number, he pressed dial, bringing the phone up to his ear. After waiting for a few more seconds, during which the dial tone continuously broke the silence, the call went directly to voicemail.

"Truce, I'm at the courthouse with Athena. I probably won't be back for another day at least; can you please just stay there with Maya and Pearls until then? Sorry about that. Love you."

_BEEP!_

"Mr Wright…I'm s—"

Phoenix raised a spiky eyebrow, once again put up a hand quickly and cutting her off. "I already said I don't want to hear that right now. What I want to know is what you were _thinking_."

Athena's eyes darted to the exit and back again.

All she wanted right now was to run home and never look back. She wasn't even close to being in a state to begin a long explanation, but she knew that Phoenix wouldn't leave until Athena had provided something substantial for him to use.

But the problem was…she didn't even know where to begin.

"Umm…I needed…well…you see…"

It was incoherent babble, yes, but that was all she could think of when having to explain her current predicament to her Boss. Somehow, her mind seemed to have sped off in the opposite direction when she needed it the most. She cringed internally thinking how how stupid she must have looked saying it.

_Not a pathway to a promotion._

"I'm waiting, Athena," said Phoenix roughly, arms crossed over his chest and his lips pursed into a thin line.

A deafening silence fell on them, broken only by the gurgling of the water cooler to their left and an inexperienced bailiff's watch going off seemingly out of nowhere, though he fumbled with the knobs to silence it quickly enough. And eventually, even those noises silenced themselves, leaving Phoenix and Athena looking directly at each other, their mouths glued shut.

"…I see." Phoenix finally said with a small sigh, standing up and pacing about the lobby, closing his eyes, his head facing the floor.

"I'm sorry. I guess this recess was worthless…like some other things…"

As she looked away and turned around to get herself a cup of water — mostly to distract herself — she heard Phoenix sighed softly and say, "Y'know I'm not angry about you nearly losing, right? That happens to us sometimes."

She turned her head to look at him.

"Then what _are_ you mad about, Boss?"

Phoenix's eyebrows quirked up again, as though the question had a _very_ obvious answer. Upon noticing that Athena had absolutely no clue, his hand moved up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he looked to be choosing his words carefully. Softly again — though Athena could feel the repressed irritation contained within it — he answered, "…You _know_ what I'm angry about, Athena. I know you're a smart girl…"

"I — I can resign, if you want, Boss. Maybe...Maybe I'll try and stay a psychologist…or maybe become an internet star or something," Athena suggested half-seriously with an almost unnoticeable shrug that only served to carry her feeling of awkwardness. She suddenly found herself looking away from him, holding her arm.

A chuckle slipped past Phoenix as he lowered his hand, giving her a small smile. "That wasn't what I was saying at all, Athena. And even if you tried to resign, I wouldn't let you. I didn't bring you all the way here from half-way across the planet because I wanted to fire you or let become this 'internet star' thing."

As he continued chuckling at her suggestion, Athena leaned forward in desperation, though she didn't seem to realize it. "Then why _did_ you bring me here?

"Because if it was to be an attorney, that fiasco in there—" She pointed at the courtroom with a violent force, causing the newer bailiff to jump somewhat. "—should _at the very least_ have told you that I don't deserve it."

A small smirk formed on his face as he looked down and away.

"...I have my reasons."

He gave a grating laugh as she gave him his expected glare of frustration.

"Athena, one thing that you have to realize is that an attorney doesn't just trust in their client, their client also has to trust in them. But even more important than that, an attorney has to be trustworthy to themselves and those around them. What you did today…I lost a lot of the trust I'd built in you…I really thought you trusted me, too, but…"

He looked down sadly, shaking his head as his smile faded. She mulled it over without making a single sound, her heart falling to level with her stomach as she realized the weight of his words.

"_Damn, I sound like Mia,"_ he mumbled under his breath.

'_Trust in your client'? 'Trust in yourself'? What galaxy are you preaching in, Boss? Because it sure isn't this one._

It was all a smack in the face.

But then again, she had circumvented him and tried to do something that she shouldn't have due to her own feelings of inadequacy. It was her failure to accept that she was still not confident in her abilities _and_ her failure to accept that she wasn't the best there was that had caused it. It was confusing, probably, to any normal person — they were, after all, two completely separate things.

But to her…they were just two sides of the same coin. It was something that she would just have to come down and accept the fact that she wasn't infallible. Hell, _attorneys_ had never been infallible in the first place, so why was she considering _herself_ that good?

But still…whatever Phoenix was saying now...it didn't apply to her. Her trust in herself had been decimated the exact second it was revealed she was played like a fiddle by Boye's innocent façade.

"…Was there any reason you felt like you needed to do this? Was I just not a good enough teacher for you, Athena?"

Athena shook her head and gave him a weak grin. Honestly, now that she thought about it, it wasn't all that logical. "Nah, I was probably just being stupid."

He chuckled dryly, closing his eyes. "We all do stupid things sometimes."

A momentary silence fell on them once more.

Eventually, Athena — finally finding her voice — asked, "Is that it, Boss? Do you need anything else?"

"A run-down of the case so far would be pretty nice."

Forcing down the butterflies raging a war in her stomach, Athena forced a sigh and began to explain to him almost everything that had happened to her over the last few days — from the results of her investigations and the various discoveries in court. To his credit, he remained completely silent throughout, only asking a few questions every now and then.

Athena nodded at her conclusion, sighing in relief. "Well, that's everything, Boss."

That was...everything but the matter with Libidine just now.

And well...if he wanted a rundown on _that_, there was always the court stenographer to consult.

Phoenix remained silent, looking to be taking everything in for a few seconds before a small smile made its way onto his face. Finally, he walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, saying, "...Well, I'd say you've learnt a great deal over the last few days."

She clenched her jaw tightly, attempting to control her breathing, and curled her hand into a firm fist.

"No, I haven't. All I've learned is that…"

_I'm a monster…?_

"...I'm not that good," she finished quickly.

Phoenix chose to ignore her comment, shaking his head and quickly changing the subject. "Okay, before we head back in, is there anything else you need to tell me about the case?"

Athena thought for a moment, playing with her earrings. "No, I don't thin—"

And then it hit her.

_The_—

"Videotape!" she cried out. "The videotape! I forgot about because Ms von Karma had—"

"What did it show?" He thought for a moment — likely deciding that they didn't have enough time to discuss it — before rephrasing, "Wait, nevermind, did it 'without a doubt prove the defendant guilty'?"

Athena faltered. "…Yes. He's guilty, Mr Wright…I can't defend him, I just can't."

Phoenix looked at her sternly, his eyebrows narrowing as his face contorted into a frown. "…Athena…Did you ever hear discord in his voice? Do you have proof yourself that he's guilty?"

"…No, but—"

He put up his hand. "Perfect. That's all I need to hear."

Athena watched in awe as he turned around to face the door, his arms crossed, allowing quiet to retake the room. He had taken it all without a single moment of doubt. She was definitely going to have to take a lesson or two on good one-liners, maybe teach a few to Widget.

Within moments, the bailiff cleared his throat.

* * *

**November 19, 2029 4:10 PM**

**District Court**

**Courtroom No. 3**

* * *

The Judge slammed his gavel, bringing immediate silence to the courtroom. "Court will now reconvene for the trial of William Boye."

Athena stole a glance at Phoenix, noting his calm expression as he read through her back-up notes.

There was something absolutely fascinating about watching him, and knowing that in just a few minutes, the courtroom would surely be up in arms with his theories and claims. And something about that — about having him by her side once more — reinvigorated her.

_Ms von Karma's gonna have to watch out now!_

Athena's gaze turned to Franziska. Straight-backed and confident as ever, though her eyes now held a fiery look to them, she kept her gaze upon Phoenix, obviously ready and — though harder to spot — giddy to see him in action again.

"…Phoenix Wright…"

Phoenix brought his head up to look at her. A small grin formed on his features as he nodded at her. "Franziska von Karma…"

"Familiar with each other, are we?" asked the Judge. "I'm quite happy to see it. Now, let's hope both sides remain courteous throughout." Then, he looked down, his eyes closed, preparing his opening question. "…Is the prosecution ready?"

"No need to ask."

"And the defense?"

"Yes, the defense is ready."

"Very well," he said, taking in a deep breath before beginning, "A few moments ago, the prosecution presented a very damning piece of evidence: security footage showing the defendant walking down the hallway. No—"

Franziska whipped her table to cut him off, clearly unable to keep her excitement to herself. The Judge immediately ended his summary, his eyes dilating in a frightened look as he turned to watch her whip, which she had set back onto her belt.

"Now, there is absolutely no doubt as to the defendant's presence at the scene of the crime at the time of the murder. The video clip also showed the defendant — stained in blood — carrying objects away from the scene of the crime which were later found in his employee locker. These were the victim's locket and wedding ring, as stated by the detective near the start of the trial."

Smirking, she added, "Therefore, this case is almost complete. There is almost no hope for the defense here. I would like to add all the evidence the detective gave to the court record immediately."

**Surveillance Footage added to Court Record.**

**Key Card and Log added to Court Record.**

"The prosecution would like to ask Your Honor to—"

_**OBJECTION!**_

Phoenix shook his head and looked up, his expression blank to preserve a level of professionalism. "Yet, Ms von Karma, you forget that the defense didn't have a chance to cross-examine it originally."

Franziska frowned, closing her eyes in thought. "…Ah, yes, in our excitement prior to recess, we may have forgotten that detail."

"That we did," The Judge added with a small nod.

He pounded his gavel. "Very well, that can be easily corrected. The defense may take a look at the video in its entirety. Ms von Karma, if you would...?"

"Of course."

Athena turned her eyes to the courtroom display, her mind clearer than it had been before.

The footage didn't seem to be grainy at all — quite unlike normal security camera videos she'd expected. The contents seemed to show Boye leaving the hotel room at 11:24 AM, his eyes glowing with pride and a wide smile ingrained on his face. His clothes were soaked in a red liquid — definitely blood — and in his hands, dangling, was a locket. About three minutes afterwards, Libidine made her way out, notebook in hand.

Athena let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding in as soon as the footage ended. She turned to look at Phoenix, who looked completely unfazed by the whole thing, simply looking over documents to find countering evidence.

"As you can see, this evidence is thoroughly incriminating!" exclaimed Franziska, leaning forward. "There's absolutely no one else who could have committed the crime."

_**OBJECTION!**_

Phoenix slammed his hands onto his bench. "How about that woman who came shortly after? She was carrying another object out of the hotel room. She could also have committed the crime."

Nobody speaking a word, all eyes turned to Phoenix, who seemed surprised by the new attention. Franziska studied him closely, her expression flitting between exasperation and confusion. The Judge wore a similar one, though he did less to hide it.

Phoenix rubbed at the back of his head, a wide smile playing upon his lips; he had clearly realized that something was wrong — a bit too late, but still. "Umm…what's with the awkward silence, ladies and gentlemen…?"

Athena gave him a blank look and shook her head vigorously. He seemed to have gotten the gist of what she was trying to say and immediately waved his hands around in the air. "A-alright, I see now that was a pretty bad idea in retrospect. Heh, heh, heh…"

_**OVERRULED!**_

The Judge looked at him with a grave frown, shaking his head. With his voice dangerously low in his throat, he said, "I see now that the defense requires a penalty in retrospect!"

Phoenix's eyes widened as he moved to stop it, but, by then, the gavel had been pounded. He leaned close to Athena, whispering, "Wait, what happened? Why couldn't I accuse that lady?"

Athena's heart began racing; she knew that she had to tell him, but now was not the time.

No response came from Phoenix. Instead, he simply kept a curious gaze upon her, quirking an eyebrow and his head tilting to the right, before slowly turning back around to look at Franziska.

Upon sensing that he was observing her, she began, "There were quite a few things Selene Libidine was guilty of, but murder is not one of them. However…"

Franziska pounded a hand onto her bench, opening her eyes, her face twisting into a glare aimed at Phoenix. "As you can see, it was _William Boye_ that exited the room after killing Alexander Abaddon. He strangled him and then stabbed him, it's quite easy to tell, seeing by the bloodstains on his clothing."

_**OBJECTION!**_

Phoenix rubbed at his chin, his eyes looking back and forth as he thought. "Ms von Karma, something in that statement is extremely illogical. Why would the defendant stab the victim after he had already strangled him? Why would _any person_ do that? Just strangling him and leaving would be enough."

The Judge gave him a stern stare. "Are you trying to give tips to possible criminals, Mr Wright? Because that's what it looks like from up here."

"N-no…" said Phoenix, slumping forward as he began to sweat, "All I'm saying is that it's illogical if you really think about it."

"Quite illogical, but in the course of your defending career, have you ever found yourself with a case that _was_ logical, Phoenix Wright?"

Athena bit back a laugh; she certainly had a point there. Ponco, Uendo, and Robin Newman specifically came to the forefront of her mind.

"W-well, that's true…"

"Therefore I reiterate: At 11:13 AM, William Boye went into the victim's room. He used the scarf to strangle him, and then stabbed him before stealing his possessions, in that order."

Phoenix immediately went through the papers, and eventually looked up, defeated, his shoulders dropping somewhat, yet his expression still fierce. "Yeah, you're right. But wait, then how did he get Ms Libidine's scarf?"

"…Selene Libidine and Alexander Abaddon's rooms were connected…therefore it is not impossible for him to have gone into her room and retrieved the scarf to use it strangle the victim."

_**OBJECTION!**_

"_Uno momento!_ You're withholding information, Ms von Karma!" Athena pointed out, jabbing a skewer of a finger at her. Continuing to stare her down, she added, "During her testimony, Ms Libidine stated that the door between her and Mr Abaddon's room was broken on his side, meaning that she could go into his room using it, but that nobody could go from his room to hers. That means that Mr Boye couldn't possible have—"

"Enough of this, Athena Cykes!" Franziska whipped her desk to stop her, shooting Athena an icy scowl. "You're acting irrationally angry and, quite frankly, rude. You have no right to speak like that in a court of law, especially with you being a co-counsel!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

Athena's glare became set in stone as she continued casting it towards Franziska. The tingling injustice of this was not lost upon her. Prosecutors' co-councils were always allowed to interrupt the defense, but never vice-versa. It was one of the particularly screwy aspects of this 'guilty until proven innocent' system the Initial Trial System seemed to boast.

'_To prevent bias,' they say. As if!_

But then she remembered Trucy and Bucky's trials last year. She slammed her hands onto the defense's bench.

"Wait a second, Simon and I were allowed to interrupt Nahyuta Sahdmadhi—!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

Franziska whipped her bench with an inhuman amount of strength, her features flashing in thinly veiled fury. Athena was almost intimidated by her sudden show of force from the normally calm woman. "That 'unfettered' Khura'inese prosecutor? You seriously consider him an obstacle that needs co-counsel interventions? I'm not even surprised that he didn't use his right of—"

_**OBJECTION!**_

"What right do you have to insult Nahyuta—?!" Athena exclaimed in ourtage, doubly striking her bench with a fist, continuing to glare both freezing ice and burning fire onto her opponent.

_**OBJECTION!**_

"The exact same right you gave me when you allowed me to speak up on my observations about Selene Libidine. Oh, but it's completely different when the target of the 'observation' is someone you like versus someone you don't like, isn't it, Athena Cykes?" Franziska spat.

_**OBJECTION!**_

Franziska's sharp arrow had wounded its intended target.

As the vomit of regret rose in Athena's mind, her face twisted into a cruel scowl — her every muscle focused on showing Franziska the raw vitriol stampeding through her soul. Why did everything lead back to that? She couldn't stop feeling _physically sick_ thinking about it for herself, wasn't that enough? She had done wrong, yes, but what use was there bringing it up again and again, other than to torture her.

_How many damn times do I have to say sorry? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!_

She could feel the tears from earlier coming back to bite at the corners of her eyes, begging to leave, but not now. Not ever again. "_How _dare_ you, Franziska von Karma?!_"

_**OVERRULED!**_

"_Quiet, all of you!_ I have had _enough!_ I'm tired of having to repeat myself. Both of you — yes, you, Ms Cykes and _yes_, you, Ms von Karma — will meet me in my chambers as soon as this trial ends. I'll accept absolutely _no_ excuses from _either of you_!

He shook his head, glaring at the duo, his eyes shooting red-hot chagrin and disappointment at them like a roaring fireplace.

After a few minutes of absolute silence, he added, "Absolutely the most outrageous and frankly _embarrassing_ behavior I've ever seen on display from professional lawyers — why, I'd expect infinitely better from even my _great-grandchildren_. I have half a mind to hold you both in contempt of court and have the bailiffs drag you out to the detention center _this instant_."

The courtroom fell into another deathly silence, no one daring to make a single sound as the Judge placed a hand on his face, exhaling at the end of his tirade. It was clear that nobody had ever seen him this angry before, even during the earlier session of the trial. And Franziska, upon regaining her composure, tossed one last dirty look at Athena before returning her attention once again to her case files, opening and skimming through them in an attempt to distract herself.

Athena took a couple of deep breaths, keeping her hands curled on her bench trying to center herself once more. As her adrenaline fueled rush came to an end, she realized that what Franziska was trying to say was correct in a legal and personal sense. She had gone overboard again.

She couldn't find any way out of this because technically, she wasn't the lead defense anymore.

Her body began to quiver, her heart beating as fast as a hummingbird's wings. She was still livid, though not as close to blowing her top as she was before. But whether it was at herself and her utter and complete stupidity, or simply at Franziska's frankly awful behaviour...she didn't know.

But what she did know was the wary hand making itself known on her tense shoulders.

_The Boss..._

"…Athena, _what the heck was that?!_" Phoenix spluttered.

She didn't have an answer for him, feeling her cheeks fill with red embarrassment. Oh, how she just wanted to run right now. Run and not come back for a long while, and hole herself up in a place where no one would know her.

...Why did this have to happen?

Why did this _always _have to happen? Her childish overreactions had _once again_ almost ruined the solid case that both she _and_ Phoenix were trying to sell, even if it was made up of a few bluffs they picked up along the way.

She scoffed internally as she realized the true nature of her outburst. It wasn't just anger or determination, it was also her petty pride and a thirst to prove the opposing side wrong.

And she thought she could take cases on her own? She nearly laughed at the thought; she could barely perform average with Phoenix, _let_ _alone_ complete a proper case on her own at this point without her emotions taking control.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, taking one last breath.

"I...I don't know, Boss," she said timidly against the din of her pounding heart.

Phoenix looked her over carefully, once again concerned by her behavior. "_Athena…_"

The Judge slammed his gavel once morel. "Although the interruption by Ms Cykes was very, _very_ improper, her question does ring true. I do recall the previous witness stating that the door was broken from the victim's side."

Franziska nodded.

"I apologize; I must have simply forgotten in the heat of the moment."

…_Of course she's telling the truth…Why do I keep doing things I regret? _

Phoenix interjected. "This video never shows that Mr Boye ever went into this Ms Libidine's room! Therefore,

"I find it impossible for him to ever have had the chance to take that scarf!"

_**OBJECTION**_

"Perhaps he acquired the scarf earlier, Phoenix Wright. It was confirmed that he had been standing in the victim's hallway that morning. He could have gone into Selene Libidine's room after she left for her sight-seeing trip," exclaimed Franziska, thrusting a hand towards Phoenix, a victorious smirk written onto her face. "That's a perfectly valid explanation!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

Phoenix smirked in turn, his countenance gleaming with sheathed pride, as he looked up at Franziska, his hands on his hips, his face tilted down. "That's impossible, Ms von Karma. And you very well know why. You submitted evidence proving it!"

"Like mentor, like student, they say. Is there proof of this? Go on, show me where exactly my logic has erred." Franziska chuckled dryly in a dangerous, light-hearted manner.

Phoenix glared at her, then slammed his hands onto the bench with the force of a cannon and shot his finger at her, determination shining in his eyes.

_**Take That!**_

"I mean this evidence, Ms von Karma!" Phoenix exclaimed, tapping at a piece of paper.

The court display lit up, showing the key card and log. "If you had been thorough in your investigation, you would have noted that the defendant only used his card in one room on that floor: the victim's room. He never entered Ms Libidine's room!"

"At least not without her allowing him to!" Athena piped up with a smirk, remembering Libidine's description of him in the hall in the morning.

Phoenix rubbed at his nape, with a large grin. It was very clear he had no clue what Athena was talking about. "That's right! This means that a third party ought to have placed the scarf at the scene and that that third party was the culprit who strangled Mr Alexander Abaddon!"

"But that still doesn't change the fact that the defendant was the person who stabbed the victim! He could easily have borrowed another's card to get into Selene Libidine's room. He did try to frame her, after all!"

_**OBJECTION!**_

Phoenix slammed his callouses onto the defense's bench, smirking at her. "What proof do _you_ have that Mr Boye attempted to frame Ms Libidine, Ms von Karma, because I'd love to hear it!"

"Hmph, why else would he use _Selene Libidine's_ scarf to strangle the victim?"

Phoenix unsheathed his index finger from his fist, bringing it to point at her decisively. His face shone in clear exasperation, however. "B-But we just established that Mr Boye couldn't have placed that scarf there, Ms von Karma! It was a third party."

"Then I ask of you to enlighten us, Phoenix Wright," Franziska offered with a large smirk, thrusting her arm forth onto him. "If it _wasn't_ William Boye who went into Selene Libidine's room to take her scarf, then who was this third party that did? _Who was the person who murdered Alexander Abaddon?"_

Phoenix remained silent for a long moment, rubbing at his chin, while Franziska watched, clearly amused by this turn of events. Athena could see that he was as stumped as she was. She attempted to get him to talk, only to be met with a finger to her face and a silent request to 'be quiet for a moment.'

Eventually, he sighed, flashing his gritted teeth, his shoulder slumping. He looked up to the Judge, seeming apprehensive, and said, "The defense wishes for the trial to be extended by another day for proper investigation."

"And what does the prosecution say to this?"

Franziska looked down, her eyes closed in thought. For a moment, Athena thought she was going to end it right there. Then, she nodded resolutely and began, "…The prosecution has no objection."

"…N-None? I would have expected you to end it here," said the Judge, leaning forward with wide eyes.

"The prosecution reasserts that it has no objections. The trial must be extended."

"V-Very well. In a staggering turn of events, it seems the defense has been given a second wind. Ms von Karma, I fully. expect you to look into these claims that the defendant could not have used the scarf."

Franziska nodded. "So be it."

The Judge turned to look at the defense's bench. "And defense, I expect you to come here with an answer to Ms von Karma's question. If it wasn't the defendant, who murdered Alexander Abaddon?"

Phoenix nodded. "Yes, Your Honor."

"Very well, this court is hereby adjourned for the day!" His voice then darkened, becoming a low growl that could barely be discerned from the surrounding noise of people leaving the courtroom. "…and Ms Cykes and Ms von Karma, my chambers…now,"

Both of them sighed but eventually nodded. "Yes, Your Honor."

The gavel slammed.

* * *

**November 19, 2029 5:17 PM**

**District Court**

**Outside the Judge's Chambers**

* * *

After the Judge's harsh scolding, Franziska became a platinum-and-black blur as she rocketed past Athena, making a beeline for the elevator; she was clearly in no mood to loiter about or wait for her.

Athena rushed out soon after, trying to catch up before the doors threatened to slide shut on Franziska's passive, smirking glare. Just as it was about to close, she leapt forward, her arm outstretched, managing to slip her arm into the opening just in time.

The doors creaked open.

"Excuse me," she whispered, slipping in almost complete silence.

Franziska ignored her, repeatedly stabbing the '_Close Doors_' button.

It shut slowly, and the elevator jerked to life, and, with its electronic hum, and its screen displaying each floor as it passed them, announcing it with its robotic female voice. "Eighth floor, seventh floor, sixth floor…"

And then it happened.

She was just about to rest her hand on the cool, black metal railing when she felt it pinned behind her, and Athena found herself pushed up against the wall, inches away from Franziska's face.

_What does she…think…she's…?_

Both of them maintained eye contact — icy grey against watery blue — neither daring to utter a single word, nor to make a sudden move, lest the situation get worse than it already was.

And then, just as suddenly as she had begun, Franziska let out an exasperated sigh and her grip slackened. She moved away, her posture relaxing a little.

"I'm not going to fight you, Athena Cykes. I'm not that kind of woman, but I simply wanted to tell you what I personally thought of your overall performance in there today."

That did it for Athena.

Every inch of her shaking violently, she finally exploded, "_Don't you think I already regret that?!"_

Franziska's hand immediately went to her whip, her expression hardening. "Ath—"

Athena soldiered on, not allowing Franziska the chance to get a word in edgewise.

"Didn't you ever think how _I_ was feeling about finding out that I was being lied to by my creep of a client? Oh no, now _I'm_ the one who went too far just for _defending him like any other defense attorney would defend their client_ when _he_ was the one who hoodwinked _me_, aren't I?! If you hadn't noticed, I almost gave up! I wanted to stop it the minute I found out that he was guilty!"

A heavy quiet descended on them as the elevator reached the fourth floor.

After some time, Franziska crossed her arms over her chest, closing her eyes and breathing a heavy sigh. "Athena Cykes, you say right now that you were going to give up on him. You even went through the motions properly, resting your case, for example, until that foolish fool came in and saved the day."

Franziska shook her head and opened her eyes, her gaze refocusing upon Athena. "But that was not a defeat you wanted, was it? Not a defeat that you felt you rightfully earned…It was a victory snatched from you by the unfortunate arrival of new evidence. Something that you didn't expect."

Athena looked away, physically stung by the truth of those words. She wanted to win so badly that she took whatever opportunity presented itself — even accusing an innocent woman.

Even after what she had done, she had believed in her cli — no, she'd wanted to win. That was all she wanted and accusing Libidine was the pathway there. It was a cruel irony — that she was the very same opportunist she accused her of being.

She knew what she had done was wrong, but she still accepted it as a necessary evil. She had even thought of it as an _evil,_ even _after_ causing Libidine to break down. Yet, she'd only cared about the end result of her actions, not the side-effects that it could have had on her witness or even on her reputation as an analytical psychologist.

Suddenly, a voice in the back of her mind repeated a phrase she had heard someone say a long time ago: the ends justify the means.

_The ends justify the means._

Hadn't she denied it back then?

Had she not told him that the rhetoric he spouted was just plain wrong?

And there she was accepting her act as necessary. She had lied to everyone, but most importantly to herself.

As she realized this fact, she also realized that tears were also fighting against the dam her eyes had built once again. But again, no. Her tears weren't something she wanted to have a mental image of ever again. In fact, it wasn't something she ever wanted to remember again. She knew the feeling…

So trapped…so…_helpless_…

"H-how…?" she managed to force out.

"How do I know?" Franziska finished for her.

Athena nodded weakly in response.

Franziska looked away, breathing a deep sigh. "...Multiple times before, I've felt victory snatched from me unwillingly. And during those times, I've had to re-evaluate my position on why I continued being a prosecutor. And it's a pathetic feeling, Athena Cykes. I can't say much more, but until you learn to distance yourself from your worthless pride, you'll never be…wait, Athena Cykes?"

But Athena hadn't heard a word she said. She covered her ears, shaking violently, as the Widget's screen became purple again for the second time that day.

She couldn't allow herself to relive _that_ case ever again.

She had to keep her composure.

She had to stop this.

Right now…

With her mind going blank, she fell onto her knees, her eyes looking out sightlessly as her vision became a blurred haze. She couldn't see anything but those flashbacks — those horrible memories. She tried with every single iota of consciousness she had left to mute them — to end those memories, but they kept playing.

"…I did it…I gave up on him…I…I…"

Dropping to the floor next to her in an instant, Franziska made an attempt to grab her attention, snapping her fingers in her face. "Athena Cykes!"

Athena's stare looked out, and, all of a sudden…everything — even Widget — started fading into darkness as those memories took over her mind completely. She didn't feel the soft thud of her body hitting the ground. She didn't even hear the elevator doors creaking open onto the first floor or the shouts that ensued as she fell into that cold, dark abyss.

And that cold, dark abyss welcomed her like an old friend, embracing her once more.

* * *

_A blade swung…in the darkness of the spacious robotics room, cutting her vision to the scene of a defendant lobby. It was so much larger than she thought it would be. It was so grand, yet homely, so reassuring, yet so…intimidating?_

_She was currently sat on the red sofa under the painting of the bridge, holding her legs together tight with all the strength the tiny arms wrapped around them could muster, unwilling to let them go. The bailiffs had told her to relax and get ready for when the prosecutor would call her down, but it was impossible — she couldn't sit still. She had tried everything she could to keep calm, but it had all failed in the end._

_Rocking back and forth, she felt the tears rising up again like a river connecting to a waterfall and was forced to resort to crying softly, even as the television blared various funny and cartoonish noises in the background. _

_The bailiffs, though they seemed to be concerned with her state, didn't budge an inch from the doors, training their gaze on her, treating her like some sort of criminal, even though she was far, _far_ from it._

_Most of her tears — her wild, panicked emotions from the horrible afternoon — had been reserved for the previous night when her aunt, who was staying in the country for the time being, had tried to explain everything to her in her slow and quiet manner, trying to let her take it all in. _

_Her mother was dead. Simon had killed her. And soon after that, Aura had called, spewing forth pure, raw hate like a bursting dam, like a raging fire to which someone had added fuel._

_That was the first time Athena had ever recognised Hate._

_And it terrified her like nothing before._

_Everyone she knew and cared about was leaving her for good — never to return. It was one of the only times in her life that she had cried like that, releasing the cavalcade of emotions mixing chaotically in her heart onto her pillow until it was a sopping wet mess._

_She felt completely and utterly alone in a harsh, unforgiving world._

_And even as her aunt later tried her best to comfort her in some strange mixture of English, Japanese, and French, telling her sweetly that it was going to be alright — that everything would work out in the end — she couldn't believe her. _

_Her aunt couldn't even begin to understand how badly everything was going wrong — absolutely everything: Simon was being taken away for killing her mother. _

_Of all people, _Simon_ was the one being taken away for killing — not…not that man in the mask. _

_Not the real killer. _

Simon Blackquill _— a man who was practically family to her and her mother — was being dragged away to die for her murder. The prosecutor for the trial had called her aunt that evening and told her that Athena needed to testify in court the next day about her mother's demise — to help him prove that Simon did it. It was bad enough as it was, but he was trying to say that he had killed her for _Athena's_ sake._

_He wanted to have _her_ be the one to hand Simon his death penalty and her aunt said Simon wanted her to do it, too._

_But she couldn't do it._

"_Simon didn't do it. Simon didn't do it. Simon didn't do it…" she mumbled to herself. A mantra that her friends and family told her she would repeat in her sleep for the next seven years. A mantra that she could never let go of. A mantra that only served to remind her of her failure to save him._

_No matter what they or Simon wanted, she just couldn't say he did it. Because Simon didn't do it — he'd never even think about doing it. He loved Athena and Metis just like he loved Aura — with everything in his heart. She'd felt it…in the many times they'd managed to speak with each other — with Simon being one of the only people her mother allowed her to keep a friendship with._

_But now, he was going to leave her, too._

_Her headphones finally were off but…all it did right now was make her feel worse than she already felt. Mom was right because, somehow, nothing had changed; it just made the headaches she'd been having since she was little feel even worse. All it told her was that the characters in the television weren't feeling the emotions they acted like they felt. They weren't the happy or peppy characters shown on screen. They were angry, upset, and bored out of their mind._

"_The prosecution calls you, Athena Cykes…"_

_She had to do this. _

_She wiped her eyes on the pink sleeves under her yellow blouse before getting up off the couch, straightening out the edges of her small red skirt. _

_She felt herself getting smaller and smaller as she approached the doors. Her heart was beating in a slow, fixed pattern to keep her walking, growing louder and louder in her ears as she felt her fear entwining around her like a rope, threatening to stop her in her tracks. _

_It felt like she was going to school for the first time again, only it was much, _much_ more serious than that._

_And now…she didn't even have Junie._

"Athena Cykes."

_She had to save him._

"Athena."

_As she walked in through the double doors, the weight of Simon's fate squeezing down on her shoulders — in much the same way the globe did on Atlas' — nearly caused her knees to buckle and give out as she walked forth to the witness stand. _

_Standing there, in the daunting courtroom, with her ears picking up so many emotions and causing her a head-splitting ache, it was impossible to think — impossible to help _him_ in any meaningful way. _

_She looked back at him so many times, her tears having never dried, but he never even tried to look back — refusing to keep the promise he had made to her. _

_But with everything she had in her — knowing full well that it was all too late to do anything about it, but still yearning to prove his innocence — young Athena Cykes cried out the truth she knew with all her heart in her raw, shaking voice. _

"_Please! You have to listen to me! He didn't kill her! His heart is screaming that he didn't kill her!"_

_As though coming from a poorly tuned radio, a slight, familiar cackling noise entered the room as she reaffirmed her position, that Simon had never killed anybody — over and over again — until both sides of the courtroom got sick of it._

_But it was all of no use._

_Worthless, just like her testimony was for the prosecution._

_Nothing would work on a court convinced of the defendant's guilt, where the attorney didn't even try to defend his hapless client. _

_The Judge pounded his gavel and the trial, much like the memory it was a part of…came to an end._

* * *

"Athena!"

Her eyes opened a crack, allowing light to flood her senses once more.

"Athena Cykes! _Wake up!_"

Her eyes shot open.

She was lying face-up on a red sofa. The red sofa in the defendant's lobby. The same red sofa from her memory. And standing above her was...

Franziska von Karma. And to her left, Phoenix Wright.

She blinked once, twice, three times before finally managing to push herself up so that she was propped up against the armrest.

"Hey guys," she said, with a small, awkward grin, her voice slightly hoarse. "Have I been out for too long?"

Phoenix sighed in relief, running a hand through his spikes.

Franziska glanced at him, smirking. "What did I tell you, Phoenix Wright? You worry too much. 'We must take her to the emergency room!' Now, really?"

Quietly, Athena brought a hand around to the back of her head, she scanning for any painful bumps or bruises. Thankfully, there weren't any, though she did remember having fallen down. It didn't seem like she'd hit her head on the floor after all. She needed to thank whoever had saved her — she recalled Franziska being in the elevator with her, so it was likely her.

He scoffed, shaking his head. "Can't really blame me now, can you? I find one of my more abuse-happy opponents in court on the floor next to my unconscious employee. People are bound to get panicky in situations like that, Ms von Karma."

"…Hmph." Franziska replied.

She tapped her whip twice, before collecting her black bag from the table. "Now that your health and safety has been established, I'll be taking my leave. There is a case to close, after all."

She turned and walked towards the exit. However, she stopped short just as she was getting ready to open the door. For a few moments, nobody made a sound — confused as they were — until Franziska decided to speak up. "And Athena Cykes?"

Athena looked at her. "Yeah, Ms von Karma?"

Franziska turned her head to the side to get a better look at her. "I think that it'd be best to tell Phoenix Wright the _full_ details of this trial. Not only will it help him right now, it will _definitely_ help you in the long run. Of that, I'm sure."

She gulped, feeling butterflies in her stomach once again, but quickly nodded, realizing that Franziska was, once again, right. She couldn't withhold the truth any longer. "…Alright. I-I'll try."

"Very well. Have a good day, Phoenix Wright and Athena Cykes. I shall see you tomorrow."

Phoenix turned to Athena as soon as the door closed, raising an eyebrow, his blue eyes spouting a curious look. "…Athena, what was she talking about?"

"…Boss…There are a few things that I need to tell you about this trial. Let's talk about it on the way, okay?"

And so, she got off the sofa and sighed, starting to walk with him to grab a taxi on the road, explaining everything that happened during the trial in a complete, unabridged account.

She would have to thank Franziska later for this.

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

_**Attorney's Badge:**_** This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Autopsy Report:**_** 11/18, 10:30-11:30 AM; Cause of Death: Death due to asphyxiation. Notes that stab wounds found on the body are post-mortem.**

_**Bloody Footprints:**_** A set of Bloody Footprints leading to the elevator that I found in the hallway outside the victim's room.**

_**Crime Scene Photos:**_** The victim is lying face-up on the right side of the bed, which has blood underneath the body. He appears to have been stabbed and strangled to death.**

_**Bloody Knife:**_** A bloody knife found stuck in the victim's chest.**

_**Scarf:**_** Scarf found tied around the victim's neck extremely tightly.**

_**Drawer:**_** An empty drawer in the victim's room. The police labeled it as evidence.**

_**Key:**_** A key to the closet in Mr Abaddon's room dropped by Ms Libidine.**

_**Blackout Record:**_** There was a blackout in this hotel from around 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM. The hotel's main systems, such as elevators and rooms lost power.**

_**Blood-stained Pantyhose:**_** One of Ms Libidine's pantyhose which were found in the closet with blood on its knees.**

_**Weights:**_** The victim attempted to lift 250 pounds prior to his death. He had an accident with this.**

_**Old Wireless Earphones:**_** A set of wireless earphones that came out over a decade ago. The logo isn't visible.**

_**Phone:**_** A phone which has a playlist of ABBA music and also what looks like a picture of the victim's family.**

_**Boye's Testimony: **_**"I handed my pen over to that French lady in the morning when she was running out of the hotel and said she needed it; she didn't give it back. Nobody else saw it, fortunately for me; employees are encouraged to keep their pens on them at all times."**

_**Locket and Ring: **_**A locket and wedding ring belonging to the victim; it was found in Mr Boye's employee locker.**

_**Hotel Invoice: **_**A record by the hotel which shows that Ms Libidine and Mr Abaddon both booked their rooms the night before the murder.**

_**Notebook:**_ **The victim's private journal containing notes on his investigations. A few pages were found ripped out.**

_**Surveillance Footage: **_**Footage showing Mr Boye leaving the victim's room with blood spattered onto his shirt. Ms Libidine left shortly after.**

_**Key Card and Log: **_**Mr Boye's key card, found in Mr Abaddon's room. It was analyzed and there's a log of where it has been used. He seemed to have gone into Mr Abaddon's room around 10:04 AM and 11:24 AM.**

**Profiles:**

_**Phoenix Wright (age 37):**_** An excellent defense attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model, but he isn't here right now.**

_**William Boye (age 39):**_** The head bellboy of the establishment, who was arrested for murdering Mr Abaddon. ...Can I even trust him at this point?**

_**Alexander Abaddon (age 44):**_** An international prosecutor who was working with Franziska von Karma in an investigation. He was killed in his hotel room.**

_**Reggie Starr (age 46):**_ **The receptionist of the hotel who seems to hate my client for some reason.**

_**Franziska von Karma (age 29):**_** A famous international prosecutor from Germany, who aids Interpol in their investigations when they're out of their league.**

_**Dick Gumshoe (age 42):**_** A very large man who's the Chief of Police. He took over this investigation for some reason.**

_**Selene Libidine (age 38): **_**She is the victim, Alexander Abaddon's, colleague. She seems to be in a bad emotional state. Could there be something going on between them?**

_**Jim Leeder (age 35):**_** He's the trainer for the Gatewater Imperial Hotel's gym. Very tough and irritable.**

_**Mahina Bones (age 22**_**): She's a woman I met who has a muscle disorder. She's nice and told me tons of important information.**

* * *

**Update: Don't you just love it when you notice typos weeks after you post a chapter?**

**Also, the next chapter will be posted on August 10th. I'm so sorry for being late. I got a bit busy over the past few weeks. Life, as always, is to blame.**


	20. The Hospitable Turnabout - Part 10

**Author's note at the end.**

* * *

**Investigation - Day 2 - Part 1**

* * *

**November 19, 2029 6:48 PM**

**Gatewater Imperial Hotel**

**Outside**

* * *

Upon further inspection, the Gatewater Imperial Hotel wasn't exactly the model of luxury and opulence it tried to pass off as. In the bright nocturnal lights of this area of the city, Athena could now finally see the cracks in the marble white façade; it was obvious now — the chipping paint, the harsh grey concrete, and the crumbling Greco-Roman pillars that could barely stand the test of time when compared to those of the actual Acropolis in Athens. Where were her eyes last time when she needed them?

_Mamma mia, I hope I'm not going blind…_

"Hey, Athena…Do you — erm — do you mind if we _not_ investigate right now? I mean…I'm pretty tired and I know you are too, so…" Phoenix said, stepping in behind her, barely stifling his yawns.

Athena shot him a death glare, grabbing him by his shoulders and pulling him down to eye-level. "_Boss, do you know how insane it is to give up now?!_"

Phoenix winced, stepping back to shield himself slightly from her outburst; Apollo's Chords of Steel sessions had clearly gone a long way with her. He stood, rubbing at his ears gingerly for about a full minute before opening his mouth to speak.

"Athena, I never said we were going to give up. What I'm trying to say is that if we try to go through with this right now, it'll only give us two extra hours and I don't really see a need for it. It won't help as much as you think. I can bet that Franziska's probably in there right now, so it's useless — she probably won't even let us into the victim's room, let alone anywhere else."

"But then we _have_ to go, Boss! Giving up even two hours of investigating would cause us to go behind! We all know Ms von Karma's some kind of endangered night owl! It's perfectly normal to function on zero sleep. I do it all the time."

"Athena, _that's_ pretty insane. Franziska knows that she can't prosecute on zero hours of sleep, unlike some defense attorneys I know," Phoenix deadpanned. "Plus it's dinner time and I'm starving — I haven't even had lunch today!"

"_Says the guy who showed up to court at 3:45 PM!" _exclaimed Widget.

Phoenix's eyes widened for a moment, before he closed them, his eyebrows twitching as he took in her companion's unfortunate comment.

Her readily-made apology note — which she had perfected over the years of Widget-related incidents — crumbled and curdled like year-old blue cheese upon catching sight of Phoenix's stony expression.

Looking to be choosing his words wisely, he sharply growled, "_What_ did you just say to me, young lady?"

_I'm not your daughter, Boss!_

Without even allowing her a word in edgewise, he continued his outburst. "Do you have _any_ idea how long it takes to get a taxi over here during the afternoon rush hour? In the middle of the mountains?!"

"Taxi?! B-but I thought you took the train!"

Phoenix looked up, curling his fists as he sighed in exasperation. Sighing, he explained, "I _tried,_ but, as usual with my luck, it got delayed by two hours. _That's _why I was so late."

He looked away, trying to hide a regretful frown. "Sorry for getting so upset at you over something so trivial, but…"

"It's alright, Boss. And sorry…" she said, looking to her side as she gripped her arm, "I never _did_ ask why you were late…I'm just happy that you arrived there before it was _too_ late. You saved me at the last possible second so…_Thank you_. It all worked out in the end somehow, thanks to your dogged determination."

Looking back up at him, she added, "I…umm…really did mess up in there today. And you don't have to try and lie. I'll know if you're trying."

"Hey there, that's alright…Don't forget, it was _your_ determination that held the fort until I came."

"But it wasn't! I gave up in there when she showed that new evidence! Something you wouldn't do, even when Mr Edgeworth was prosecuting against me! I was so sure that he was guilty at the time — and I'm still not sure he's not — that didn't even think of the discord."

"But that's normal, Athena…you were under a lot of—"

"No, it's not," she said shortly. Giving him a glare, she added, "And don't even think about patronizing me, Boss!"

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "…Athena, why is it that whenever Apollo or I try to compliment you, you immediately jump to thinking that we're trying patronizing you?"

She didn't reply, feeling herself turn a deep shade of red at her sudden outburst.

He remained quiet for a while, eventually exhaling deeply and moving forward to place a hand on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "You know we mean it whenever we praise you; we aren't _that_ sarcastic. I can't help you if you can't help yourself, Athena. And in case you're still worried, I'm not going to hide it: you did mess up in court today. What you did to that woman definitely wasn't right, but…you followed the trail where the evidence led you and…well…that was where it took you."

"But—" she began, looking up at him, but stopped herself short. "You know what? Just ignore it."

He sighed, running a hand through his spikes. "Anyways, what were we talking about?"

"Didn't mean to get so distracted like that…sorry…"

She ran her hand through her hair, her face still coral red. Trying to wring the awkwardness out of the situation, she stuck out her trademark peace sign, a new grin taking over her face. "What I _meant_ to say was: Maybe it's dinner time for you and Ms Fey right now, but it's prime investigation time for _me_, Athena Cykes, Ace Attorney!"

"_Try saying _that_ ten times fast."_

_Nobody asked you, Widget!_

Grimacing for a split second, she continued as though he'd said nothing, her eyes shining with an overwhelming, yet completely new determination that she thought she didn't have any longer. Punching her fist into an open palm with a smirk, she added, "It'll probably even give us a lead over Ms von Karma, Mr Wright! We'll beat her arguments up quicker than a pit stop in that NASCAR race back in August!"

"Please don't remind me of that…"

Phoenix cringed, as though the statement brought up some painful memory.

Athena thought about it for a moment, and then winced lightly herself, leaning to her side. She guessed 'beat-up' and 'pit stop' had something to do with it. Any normal person thinking of a Tanner-Oldbag double-suplex would probably react in the same wa—

Wait — _why had she just thought of that? _Why the_ hell_ had she just thought of that right now?

_I'm not going to get that image out of my head anymore, am I?_

"_Please pass me the brain bleach," _Widget commented.

Phoenix shook his head and turned on his heel dramatically. "Anyways, you can go on ahead, Athena, I'm heading home! I'm exhausted — court does that to me."

_**Hold It!**_

"No way, Boss! You're coming with me whether you like it or not!"

With that, Athena grabbed his hand by the wrist and attempted to force him to come with her, only to fail at moving him even an inch from his. Even though she knew it wasn't worth it, she strained with everything she had, putting every muscle forward in her body, until — finally — she managed to move him one step forward. "C'mon, why won't you _budge_?"

"No means _no_, Athena," he emphasized, quickly removing her hand from his without having to apply much force, his voice as sharp as a razor once more. He was clearly not impressed with her growing desperation.

"_Please? With a cherry on top?"_ Widget probed.

The severity of the lines on his face deepened. His frown grew until it was all she could clearly see. Sighing, he began, "You know what? I'm definitely not going to get you to agree on that and I'm not going to agree on this. Best thing we can do is come here early tomorrow morning."

He smiled for a single second, turned and began to retreat in short order, heading to the side of the street to hail a taxi. She couldn't believe her eyes; in fact, just in case, she rubbed them to ensure that she wasn't dreaming again. She watched as the cabcame to a stop neatly in front of him.

And then she realized: holy hell, she really wasn't dreaming.

Phoenix Wright, the Turnabout Terror, the very same man who had taught her how to defend properly, was currently _running away_ from an investigation.

Athena had half a mind to run over to him, grab him by the shoulder and pull him back again to shout at him more, but instead resorted to calling out, "Now, wai—!"

"Wait a minute, hey! Over here!"

Athena looked to her right, squinting at the main entrance to get a better look at the source of the noise, only to see a red-head janitor sweeping the red carpet.

He was looking directly at her, his eyes narrow and brow snapped together into a straight red line on his forehead, obviously peeved by the sound of the yelling of their argument.

Continuing to look at them as though he was observing two zoo animals, he added, "If you two are going to have a lover's spat, then _please_ do it somewhere else or do it quietly. It's getting _really_ annoying listening to both of you babbling about how much you love each other from up here!"

Phoenix turned around, his jaw dropping, and Athena zoned out for a second before her mind came blazing back with a vengeance. Incoherently, she blubbered, "W-wait, _wh-whaaaaat?! _Me — Mr Wright and I, I mean — _whaaaat_?_"_

_He did _not _just say that._

"What're you two even trying to say?" He said with a snort, returning his attention to sweeping the debris off the floor. Continuing to make sure it was spotless, he added, "Just take your affection to bed with you."

There was a silence in the air for a long while as she took in the meaning of what the janitor had said. Upon realizing it, she suddenly felt the need to perform a Trucy and disappear at that exact moment. But being unable to do so, slapping a hand onto her rapidly reddening face was a perfectly viable alternative.

"_Aaaaand_ that's my limit." Blinking rapidly upon removing her hand, Athena turned around, unable to continue looking at the man. "I'm _outta_ here. See you tomorrow morning, Boss."

She heard Phoenix sigh in relief at her unexpected exit. Not intending to entertain him much longer, she added, "At five o'clock sharp — in the morning."

"W-Wait, I never said anything about five—!"

With that, not even waiting for Phoenix to finish his shocked rebuttal, she covered her ears and walked to the corner, her eyes still wide and mouth shut tight. She raised her hand, hailing for a taxi driver, got into the yellow cab and sped off home.

* * *

**November 20, 2029 4:56 AM**

**Gatewater Imperial Hotel**

**Outside**

* * *

And _that_ was how Athena found herself standing outside the hotel once again within less than twelve hours, her eyelids barely able to keep themselves open out of a sheer lack of sleep. She hid a yawn behind her open palm.

_Who investigates crime scenes at 5:00 in the morning?_

"_Oh boy! 5 AM!"_ Widget blurt out.

It was like waking up early for the flight back from France all over again — near 3 AM with her fuel tank absolutely empty after the night partying with her family, having to lug her suitcase through sleepy metro stations to get to the airport, and then through the security queues and gates and so on and so forth...

Luckily, she'd managed to catch a few Z's on the flight home. There was one major difference this time around, though: She definitely wasn't partying anymore.

All she wanted at that moment was a short nap, else she worried that she would collapse from the restless stress alone. In any manner, they only had a matter of _hours_ to search the crime scene before they once again had to step into the courtroom and debate their case with Franziska. She sighed, wishing that she could just have done it yesterday, when she had a just a bit more energy.

It would have made things so much easier.

On the other hand, that would have meant having to deal with that creepy janitor shadowing their movements.

Before she could remember anymore, she heard the purr of an engine and a car door close behind her. She turned to see Phoenix outside a red sports car, talking to someone inside.

"Thanks for the ride, Edgeworth."

Edgeworth pushed up his glasses, giving him a glare over the rim. "I'm the Chief Prosecutor, Wright. You would do well to remember that. I shouldn't have given you any free 'ride' to this crime scene."

He received a scoff in response. "Yeah, right. We all know you're a big softy underneath all that pomp and proper, you don't have to hide it."

"I am no such thing. It's simply that Franziska being the pros—"

As though he hadn't heard him, Phoenix chuckled and added, "I should have known you don't sleep at night."

Edgeworth harrumphed, a visible frown etched onto his face. "And this is coming from the man who still has no personal vehicle apart from a decade-and-a-half old bicycle?"

"And that's coming from the thirty-seven-year-old who hasn't even looked into dating."

Moving his arm down onto the side arm-rest, he placed his finger upon the window switch, his frown easing into a small smile. "Touché, Wright, touché…I'll keep that in mind next time you ask me to 'please drive me to the Gatewater Imperial before Athena murders me in my sleep' at 4:15 in the morning."

Then, with a wider smirk playing up his lips, he added, "Besides…I'm absolutely sure you know nothing of my personal life."

Athena could hear a certain amount of diffidence in that statement, as Edgeworth's smug smile grew more than three sizes in a millisecond.

Phoenix stood there gaping like a fish out of water. "W-Wait, what?"

"Now then, I have a multitude of duties I must attend to, least of all staying here and conversing with you. I bid you farewell for now, Wright, Ms Cykes."

Without waiting for a response, Edgeworth gave a nod in their direction and sped off.

"'…Before Athena murders me in my sleep,' huh, Boss? I can sort that out pretty easily," Athena teased.

Her eyes darted between Phoenix's expression and the road, and before she could help herself, she burst into laughter. A good, hearty laugh that had evaded her over the last few days, which had her keeling over and clutching at her sides. Eventually Phoenix awarded her with an indignant glare, forcing her to try and adopt a proper posture. She stood at attention, almost daring to give him a playful salute, before he ordered, "Now that you've stopped threatening to choke yourself, Athena, we've got a crime scene to investigate."

Widget, however, seemed intent upon delivering some more levity. "_Yes, _sir!"

"At least _someone_ agrees with me," he said, though his frown signified that he knew otherwise, "Anyways, I don't know how we're going to do this. Do you want to split up the work or go tog—"

"_Together!"_ Athena shouted, glancing about for any sign of the muscular trainer that'd chased her out of the hotel two days ago; she could have sworn that she'd heard his loud, demeaning voice earlier when she'd been waiting for Phoenix.

But that could easily just have been her overactive imagination playing tricks on her, which made it all the more frightful. The latter didn't seem to share in her fear, however, simply watching her with an odd curiosity.

Phoenix put both his hands into the air, in front of his head, giving a brief, confused titter. "Alright, alright…I was just asking. Jeez, no need to rip me apart like last night."

_Does he realize what he just said…?_

_You know what? Let's keep my big mouth out of this._

* * *

**November 20, 2029 5:10 AM**

**Gatewater Imperial Hotel**

**Reception Hall**

* * *

There seemed to be fewer guests than when she'd come in on Sunday — it made sense considering that she was arriving on an extremely early Tuesday morning. It made less sense for them to be up at all. And the reactions from the few wakeful ones seemed to be much more muted, but even then, some still jerked their heads around and gave her glares. And she wasn't confused at all.

Since the murder _had_ taken place at the hotel, it made sense for them to have watched the trial yesterday. And, considering what an event it had proven to be, this reaction wasn't something that seemed too extraordinary to her — she kind of expected it, if she was to be honest.

She sighed and ignored them as she continued onward to the desk.

To her surprise, Starr wasn't the one at the helm today. Instead, it was some younger man, who sported a rather long nose — quite unfitting for his narrower-than-a-stick face. From what she could see, he appeared to be engrossed in some Cohdopian royal family drama tabloid, probably acquired from the nearest supermarket checkout. Personal experience had told her that they were _extremely_ inaccurate, yet they were still so widely perused as though they had even an inkling of fact — she shook her head lightly. She looked him over again and, upon second inspection, it seemed that he wasn't even reading it. Rather it appeared that he was off in some vivid daydream, for despite her rapid ringing of the bell, his eyes remained still on one word: '_passage_.'

She turned her head around to exchange a confused glance with Phoenix, only to find that he'd evaporated into thin air. She spun around and looked through every face she could find in the small group of people, before noticing him standing, fixated upon the centuries-old paintings — specifically one with a large, calm landscape. He seemed ready to jump into it too with how close he was, squinting his eyes and focusing upon every fine detail from the young shepherd, tending to his flock by the lakeside, to the buildings, far and away in the background.

It was, by far, the most beautiful illustration in the room.

She began to walk towards him, intending to grab him by his tie and force him back with her to speak to the new, yet familiar receptionist. Just as she was about to reach him, however, one of the black-suited guests, a short and stout older-looking gentleman with greying black hair, stood up and turned to talk to him as though he didn't see her approaching. The smirk playing across his face as he began to speak made it clear, however, that he did know.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Authentic seventeenth-century work — the era of Baroque."

Phoenix nodded, his attention still very much directed towards the painting. "It's pretty, I can't lie about that, Mr…".

"Harte. Mr Herbert Harte. I manage this hotel branch under the Gatewater Imperial Label," he simpered. "Also, you think it's merely 'pretty?' I think not. What you're looking at right there is the real _Landscape with a Calm_ by Poussin."

He turned his nose up at Phoenix, clearly thinking him to be some type of city bum — even though his suit signified otherwise.

The small crowd sitting around him seemed to understand, nodding and laughing with him as he said, "This is one of the absolute best paintings in this room. Perhaps you should look into the finer aspects of life one day. This is—"

"—A fake."

"E-Excuse me?" he asked, doing a double-take, blinking in quick succession. His audience seemed to think the same, plunging into a stupefied silence as they watched Phoenix begin to speak once again.

"I went through more than enough years studying art in college to recognize authenticity when I see it. And this…it isn't even worth the twenty-dollar canvas it's printed on."

"…_What?!"_

Phoenix shook his head, taking in a deep breath before opening his eyes. "Yep, I'm sorry to burst your bubble there, Mr Arte, but this isn't anywhere _close_ to a Baroque-era painting. If you look closely, you can see that — wait a second…I don't even think this is even real canvas! Let me check…."

He went back to examining the painting, putting his ear against the tapestry and tapping a finger against it. Whatever he heard must not have boded well, for he shook his head again as he took his head off of it. Sighing, he began, "Just as I thought. This fine-art paper — a good alternative today, of course, but not what Nicholas Poussin would have used. He worked on the real stuff."

The crowd's eyes were as wide as saucers — no, even wider — as they watched the situation unfold, utterly dumbstruck. It was clear from their expressions alone that they'd never expected the hotel to have been carrying forgeries of art. Especially with the hotel calling it 'authentic' and 'real art'.

Looking back at the balding owner, he added, "When did the hotel buy this painting again?"

Harte looked as if his head was about to explode — his eyes bugging out and his mouth twitching as he looked to be at a loss for words. His face was beginning to turn a dangerous purple-blue turnip as he spluttered, "Y-you dare to—. Wh-what do you — what p-proof—?"

"Oh trust me, I'm not here to try and tarnish your reputation, Mr Harte. But I have a duty to point out contradictions when I see it; it's my job — both literally and figuratively," Phoenix said, chuckling to himself.

_He's as much an art snob as Mr Edgeworth is a tea snob…_

Harte, his head jittering like a crazy man, turned to look at the receptionist.

"_Ajaxe! Get your lazy bottom here this instant!" _he bellowed, causing the crow around him to wince uncomfortably.

The new receptionist — apparently Ajaxe — all jumped twenty feet into the air as he struggled to get himself out of the half-circle of a desk. Colliding against multiple tables and walls on his unplanned sprint, Ajaxe managed to reach the trio within less than two seconds, his arms behind his back, chin up and chest out, as he looked at Harte like he was some kind of drill sergeant.

Athena blinked, unable to comprehend what had just occurred. "Umm…"

"Psst…Athena," she heard Phoenix whisper, keeping his eyes focused on Arte, who was currently yelling at the top of his lungs — something about 'not noticing a fake even when it was right under his nose.'

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Sorry, but I'll have to come and see you in a bit. I've kinda got a situation to deal with now, thanks to my luck. Again, sorry about that."

She could see that the situation was not necessarily working out to his advantage right now, as Harte was continuing to push himself straight into Ajaxe's face, shooting infuriated glares at Phoenix every few seconds to make sure he was there. Ajaxe looked as if he was going to collapse from the verbal lashing alone. He repeatedly looked to the right, back where his desk — and, most likely, inaccurate tabloid — was, presumably looking for a way to escape Harte.

For a while, Athena remained silent, thinking about what Phoenix had said.

"…Alright," she said coolly, nodding eventually. Internally, though, she was fuming, at a loss for words at this sudden betrayal.

_How could you leave me like this, Boss?!_

He smiled and awkwardly scratched at the back of his neck for a time before turning his attention back to Harte, tightening his posture and wearing a glare, seeming to be prepared to jump in just in case anything got too rowdy. She continued watching, finding herself engrossing in their violent — albeit one-sided — verbal combat.

"You _idiot!_ I had you clean up this area for the past few weeks and for what?"

"T-to make su—"

"To have you sit back there behind that desk lazing around?!"

"B-but you asked me to—!"

"But nothing! You were sleeping; I saw you! I got your name! I got your—!"

Athena finally managed to disconnect herself from the escalating tension in the area just long enough to walk away from the chaos she knew was coming. She felt kind of sorry for the guy; it was clear that he hadn't meant to mess anything up — sort of like that Larry Butz fellow that had shown up at the office chased by police last year.

Sadly, in this dog-eat-dog world, some people were victims and others took advantage of them. And, as of right now, there was nothing more that she could do to change that unfortunate truth. Shaking her head, she continued walking to the elevator, pushing the button to the 13th floor. She instinctively covered her ears as the elevator doors began to close, hoping to mitigate the horrible music.

* * *

**November 20, 2029 5:20 AM**

**Gatewater Imperial Hotel**

**Room 1337**

* * *

She followed the path down to the victim's room, finding the hallway eerily empty and quiet as she walked on.

_Why do I feel like something bad is gonna happen? I've watched way too many horror movies._

As to be expected, the victim's room was kept open, with crime scene tape plastered over it. But the room door next to it — Libidine's - was also left ajar and taped off.

Athena stepped through the entrance; it didn't hurt to have another look round. Just in case she'd missed anything before. She walked further into the room, looking to the left and right, as though some new evidence could magically jump at her from the walls. Magic was probably the only real way she could defeat Franziska at this point — maybe she _should_ have accepted that invitation to Hogwarts, after all.

_Oh, the woes of having a muggle family._

She continued her search. There wasn't much else to note, aside from the books now scattered on the desk. Quite old ones too, for the pages were yellowed and thumbed; Dante Alighieri's '_Inferno_,' Adam Smith's '_Wealth of Nations_,' and even a couple of ancient Greek comedies — such as those of Aristophanes and Menander — which seemed to be hand-written in their original language with some fancy, medieval scrawl.

But it held nothing.

_My life's been a comedy of errors._

She looked under the bed, moving her hand through the black void, only to pull it back and discover that her hand now wore a thin glove of dust.

_How the heck could there be _this_ much dust after just one day?_

It was most likely that the janitor had been ordered by the higher-ups not to clean the room after the murder had been reported. The Gatewater chain must've been on high alert after _another_ murder had taken place in one of its establishments. It truly was a shame, considering that they were trying to rebuild their public image — and had been succeeding, even if it was excruciatingly slow. They were most likely just trying to mitigate the damage by cooperating with the police department and bragging about it on social media.

_Anyways, still nothing._

After rubbing the dust off of her hand, she opened the drawers surrounding the bed.

_Nada._

Her desperation mounting ever so rapidly, she even pulled up the mattress to search if there was anything under it, but there was nothing left to greet her other than another blank, white mattress.

She sighed, grasping the bridge of her nose, nearly having reached the end of her rope, but there was still one last place to try, and, so, she opened the door to the closet, hoping to find something other than Libidine's clothes, but suspiciously, they were the only thing that _had_ disappeared, leaving only Abaddon's outfit in a messy pile.

She didn't exactly _want_ to go through the clothes, judging by what Libidine said they were removed for, but, unless she was willing to sacrifice her — already fragile — case, she had no other choice. She moved aside each piece of cloth individually, making sure not to touch them for too long. A slight glint in the light caught her eye as she neared the bottom of the clothes. She reached inside and grabbed the offending object, realizing it to be…

_A key card?_

It definitely wasn't sitting there when she went through the clothes last time. Somebody must have put it there very recently. And judging by the fact that it was at the bottom of the clothes, it had to have been placed there on purpose for someone to find. Franziska certainly hadn't taken it, so it must've been after she'd gone through.

_Ms Libidine's clothes are gone and this key card is placed where I can find it._

**Unknown Key Card added to Court Record.**

Surprised by this finding, she searched through the closet with a renewed vigor, but found nothing else different the last time. With frustration clouding her judgement, she kicked aside the remaining clothes in a huff as she exited the closet and closed it behind her, not caring as to where they might have been before.

Franziska had probably done a second sweep of the room and — unfortunately for her — taken anything else that might have seemed important back with her. Either that, or Athena had taken everything else the first time…

_Why do us defense attorneys always have the worst luck?_

She _was_ quite curious about one thing, though.

Who had left her a key card?

And what room could it be used for?

She turned it over in her hand, hoping to find any indication as to where it could be used, but as before…nothing. Groaning and grimacing, she walked out of the room, finding herself lost in the forest of thought.

* * *

_**Court Record:**_

**Evidence:**

_**Attorney's Badge:**_** This is the proof of my profession. Without it, nobody would believe that I'm a lawyer.**

_**Autopsy Report:**_** 11/18, 10:30-11:30 AM; Cause of Death: Death due to asphyxiation. Notes that stab wounds found on the body are post-mortem.**

_**Bloody Footprints:**_** A set of Bloody Footprints leading to the elevator that I found in the hallway outside the victim's room.**

_**Crime Scene Photos:**_** The victim is lying face-up on the right side of the bed, which has blood underneath the body. He appears to have been stabbed and strangled to death.**

_**Bloody Knife:**_** A bloody knife found stuck in the victim's chest.**

_**Scarf:**_** Scarf found tied around the victim's neck extremely tightly.**

_**Drawer:**_** An empty drawer in the victim's room. The police labeled it as evidence.**

_**Key:**_** A key to the closet in Mr Abaddon's room dropped by Ms Libidine.**

_**Blackout Record:**_** There was a blackout in this hotel from around 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM. The hotel's main systems, such as elevators and rooms lost power.**

_**Blood-stained Pantyhose:**_** One of Ms Libidine's pantyhose which were found in the closet with blood on its knees.**

_**Weights:**_** The victim attempted to lift 250 pounds prior to his death. He had an accident with this.**

_**Old Wireless Earphones:**_** A set of wireless earphones that came out over a decade ago. The logo isn't visible.**

_**Phone:**_** A phone which has a playlist of ABBA music and also what looks like a picture of the victim's family.**

_**Boye's Testimony: **_**"I handed my pen over to that French lady in the morning when she was running out of the hotel and said she needed it; she didn't give it back. Nobody else saw it, fortunately for me; employees are encouraged to keep their pens on them at all times."**

_**Locket and Ring: **_**A locket and wedding ring belonging to the victim; it was found in Mr Boye's employee locker.**

_**Hotel Invoice: **_**A record by the hotel which shows that Ms Libidine and Mr Abaddon both booked their rooms the night before the murder.**

_**Notebook:**_ **The victim's private journal containing notes on his investigations. A few pages were found ripped out.**

_**Surveillance Footage: **_**Footage showing Mr Boye leaving the victim's room with blood spattered onto his shirt. Ms Libidine left shortly after.**

_**Key Card and Log: **_**Mr Boye's key card, found in Mr Abaddon's room. It was analyzed and there's a log of where it has been used. He seemed to have gone into Mr Abaddon's room around 10:04 AM and 11:24 AM.**

_**Unknown Key Card: **_**An unknown key card I found in the middle of Mr Abaddon's clothes in the closet. It wasn't there before and I wonder why it's there now…**

**Profiles:**

_**Phoenix Wright (age 37):**_** An excellent defense attorney, known widely as the 'Turnabout Terror.' He's my mentor and role model, but he isn't here right now.**

_**William Boye (age 39):**_** The head bellboy of the establishment, who was arrested for murdering Mr Abaddon. ...Can I even trust him at this point?**

_**Alexander Abaddon (age 44):**_** An international prosecutor who was working with Franziska von Karma in an investigation. He was killed in his hotel room.**

_**Reggie Starr (age 46):**_ **The receptionist of the hotel who seems to hate my client for some reason.**

_**Franziska von Karma (age 29):**_** A famous international prosecutor from Germany, who aids Interpol in their investigations when they're out of their league.**

_**Dick Gumshoe (age 42):**_** A very large man who's the Chief of Police. He took over this investigation for some reason.**

_**Selene Libidine (age 38): **_**She is the victim, Alexander Abaddon's, girlfriend. I still can't believe that I…**

_**Jim Leeder (age 35):**_** He's the trainer for the Gatewater Imperial Hotel's gym. Very tough and irritable.**

_**Mahina Bones (age 22**_**): She's a woman I met who has a muscle disorder. She's nice and told me tons of important information.**

_**Herbert Harte (age 56): **_**The manager of this branch of the Gatewater Imperial Hotel. Very rude and snobbish overall to Mr Wright and me.**

* * *

**A/N: ****Alright readers, I apologize for the late chapter — both life and writer's block are a real obstacle sometimes. Also, have some bad news (as always, *laughs uncomfortably*). I have SATs coming up in two weeks (on the 24th) and I have to study for it. I just wanted to inform you that next chapter's been postponed to the following week.**

**Also, as you may have noticed, I changed the thumbnail for the fic! I pieced it together myself, tracing Athena out of a Capcom DD music art (I'm not a good artist) and making a few edits to her. The star I took from the AJ Logo and added a few extra portions. I took the Ace Attorney logo from the newer games and then had to edit it to delete the star and make the 'A' in Ace look proper. And I added 'Athena Cykes' into it. Rest of it was easy to do.**

**As always, please feel free to leave a review if you liked it or want to leave criticism!**


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